


Legend of Zelda: Four Souls

by SoliloGuy



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Four Swords, Harpy, Legend of Zelda - Freeform, Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Freeform, LoZ - Freeform, Nymphs & Dryads, Other, Slime, merman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6197917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoliloGuy/pseuds/SoliloGuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.  I DO NOT OWN "LEGEND OF ZELDA."  When Link attends the Festival of Elements with Princess Zelda, disaster strikes and the princess is kidnapped.  Link decides to save her by splitting himself into four Elemental creatures, but when they struggle to get along, will they stand united?  Or fall divided?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fanfiction in nearly a decade, so this might not be that great. Feel free to leave comments and constructive criticism!

Long ago, the land of Hyrule was ruled by five goddesses:

Hylia, the Goddess of Light, 

Farore, the Goddess of Earth, 

Din, the Goddess of Fire, 

Nayru, the Goddess of Water, 

And Ordona, the Goddess of Wind.

But one day, an evil sorcerer named Vaati stood before the Goddesses. He waved his hand and in an instant, cast them away into the darkness. The oceans dried up and the forests withered to nothing. Harsh, freezing winds blew a never-ending sea of dark clouds through the sky. None were safe from the sorcerer’s magic.

Then, four heroes stepped out of the darkness and challenged Vaati. They battled long and hard, but every time Vaati shot them down, they kept on.

As the heroes weakened, the leader held their sword to the heavens. The clouds parted and, to Vaati’s dismay, the Goddesses returned. They blessed the heroes’ swords and together, they defeated the sorcerer.

The rivers returned, the trees flourished, and a summer breeze swayed over the plains. As the people cheered, the Goddesses gave the last of their power to the land and departed for the heavens, never to be seen again.


	2. Festival of Elements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments and constructive criticism!

“Link, it’s time to go!” A voice shouted from below.

“I’ll be right there!” a young boy shouted. He hopped up, grabbing a small, blue, toy fish by the window along the way. On the way to the door, he quickly snatched a brown, leather bag from his bed. His feet excitedly pounded down the stairs when a shadow loomed at the bottom. A redheaded man stepped toward the staircase with a disapproving look. “Lost the bobber again?” he sighed.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Link answered. “It’s just…so small. I mean, it’s smaller than my hand.”

“If it’s that small, you should put it somewhere you can always find it,” his father groaned. He looked at the bag over Link’s shoulder, which hung to his hip with substantial weight. “Looks like you found everything else. Let’s head out.”

Link stopped. “Dad, wait!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Shouldn’t you get your gloves? I mean, we’ll be out for a while…”

The man raised a bare, blistered hand and patted the boy’s head. “We won’t be out long,” he said. “Now, c’mon. We’ve got a festival to attend.”

Link looked down at his father’s hands once again. Taking a deep breath, he put the bobber in his bag and closed the door behind him.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

Shouts of children filled the air. Toddlers ran under streamers and torches, waving flowers as they chased. They avoided the lavishly-clothed women who danced in the center of town, some with gourds of water and others with streams of red silk. Link watched as the audience tossed rupees at the dancers’ feet.

“Enjoying the view?” his father mused.

Link turned to him. “Huh? Y-yeah,” he answered.

“Good, good.” His father leaned down. “So which one’s your favorite?”

“Dad! I-I wasn’t—!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! They’re a little old for you, though.”

“Please stop…”

A voice called out. “Link!”

Link’s gaze turned toward the crowd. The townsfolk parted as a young girl rushed to meet him. “Zelda, hi!” he exclaimed.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” Zelda said with a smile. She curtsied toward Link’s father. “Good morning, Mister Jonathan!”

“Good morning, Princess,” he replied. “You don’t have to be so formal: just ‘Jonathan’ is all right.”

“Oh! Um…good morning, Jonathan…?”

“There you go. Now then…” He lowered himself to Link and Zelda’s heights. “Don’t let me slow you down. I think you two have festival to enjoy.”

“Well…if you insist. Thank you, Mister—I mean, Jonathan.” 

Zelda’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, I almost forgot!” she gasped. “Link, I need to bring you to the castle.”

“The castle?” Link asked. “What for?”

“Oh, you’ll see!”

With a giggle and a wave to Jonathan, the princess took the boy’s hand and ran back into the crowd.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

Rosy garlands hung along the castle walls. Every window was open, welcoming the wind that rocked the purple silk curtains. Maids and butlers walked along bright blue carpets in flower crowns and an array of colorful fabrics, waving to Link and Zelda as they passed.

Zelda finally let go of Link’s hand. As she closed the door behind him, he spotted a beautiful bed covered in red velvet blankets and pillows. Beside the bed stood a wooden desk, its edges draped over by a long dress. “Is that the same outfit from last year?” he asked.

“Yep,” Zelda replied. “But it was taken to a tailor for a few changes.”

Link walked toward the dress. It was a blue gown he had seen many times. The many shades of blue shined every year, shimmering like the waves of Lake Hylia. He spotted newly-made stitches along the hip that dug into a long piece of sheer fabric. Next to it laid a purple cape, the folds flapping with the slightest breeze. On top of the cape were carnations woven into bracelets and a long, bright red ribbon. Every year, the ribbon was tied to Zelda’s hair and it shined like the sun. Like Fire.

He caught sight of something by the wall. Standing on a crate near the desk was a metal breastplate. The material was thin and the shape was small, too small for an adult. Next to the armor, he spotted a wooden toy sword, childish but finely-crafted. He turned to Zelda. “What’re these for?” he asked.

Zelda looked at him and grinned. “We-e-ell,” she said in a musical tone. “You know how we celebrate the Elements every year?”

Link nodded. The festival’s main event, while celebrating the Elements, changed year after year. Last year, a caravan of circus performers built a stage and performed different acts for the Elements. The year before that, there was a cooking tournament where contestants had to make a feast fit for the Goddesses. His favorite celebration was from when he was five: the main plaza was turned into a playing field for children to throw buckets of water, dance in rains of flower petals, and run with red and purple fans.

“We-e-e-ll,“ Zelda sang again, walking toward him. “This year, my father and I are making a re-enactment of the Legend of the Hero!”

“Wow, that sounds fun,” Link said with a grin. “So what’re the parts?”

“My father is going to be Vaati. He’s really into his part, too: I caught him practicing this morning.” Zelda put her hands on her hips and shouted in a low, silly voice. “Oh ho ho! You shall not defeat me!”

Link chuckled. “That’s great. So, do you need help with practice your lines?”

“Nope. I’m actually going to be the narrator and my main part is retelling the legend. However…” Zelda leaned toward Link with a smirk.

“I know that look,” he muttered.

“Yep,” she beamed. “You’re going to be one of the Heroes!”

“Wait. So that’s…?” Link pointed to the gear behind the desk. He quickly turned around, fear in his eyes. “Zelda, I can’t act. I’ve never worn armor—I don’t even know how to use a sword!”

“Link, don’t worry! I can help you put on the armor, and you don’t have to actually use the sword. The play is supposed to be silly, so you can just wave it around. Besides, Father suggested that you play the part. So, you have to do it.”

“But—but I…”

The princess brought her hands together and pleaded in a high voice. “Please, Link? Please, please, pleeeeaaaase?”

The boy held his breath. How could the King recommend him, of all people? Not only would the entire town see him mess up the play, but his father would be part of the crowd. He doubted he could live with that humiliation.

Zelda leaned closer. “Pretty please?” she whispered.

Link sighed. He could never say no to her. “I’ll do it.”

Zelda hopped and hugged Link tightly. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cheered, letting go just as his ribs ached. “Okay, wait here! I’ll help you suit up.”

Link gulped. This would be a festival to remember.


	3. Taking the Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, another chapter down! This took a bit of writing and editing, but I finally got it ready.
> 
> Also, a small warning: I'm fairly new to AO3 and I didn't know until now that it used HTML for bold, italics, center, and so on. I did as much HTML as I could, but I will be re-reading this to check for any HTML errors.
> 
> Thank you very much for your patience and feel free to leave comments or constructive criticism!

The sun sank deep into the earth, the once-blue skies fading into a dim orange night. Townsfolk gathered before the torch-lit marble stairs in a half-circle, their eyes on the castle entrance that lay ahead. Link leaned from behind a column and watched as a maid went down to them. He knew the Festival was crowded, but not this crowded.

“Are you okay?”

Link spun around. Zelda drew back with wide eyes, the shimmering blue of her dress fading with her step. The purple cape hung from her shoulders to her waist, waving gently as the princess stepped toward Link again. “Y-yeah,” he stuttered. “I’m fine.”

Zelda placed a flowery hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Link,” she said soothingly. “You’ve got this. It’ll be just like how we practiced earlier, just…with a crowd.”

Link’s eyes dropped. The fake armor felt much heavier.

“It’ll only be for one night. Link, look at me.” Zelda cupped Link’s chin and softly tilted his face her way. “You can do this.”

Link’s cheeks turned red and he gripped his toy sword. “Yeah.”

The maid’s voice boomed. “And now, presenting the Legend of the Elements, our Royal Family!”

“That’s my cue!” Zelda whispered excitedly. She bent toward the ground and came back up with three wooden swords. “Are you ready?”

The boy nodded. Ready as he would ever be.

The princess walked down the stairs to a cheering crowd. Under torchlight, her gown shone through the dark, from the bright red ribbon to the flowers on her wrists. She bowed and raised her hand, silencing the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to our main event,” she called out. “Now, may I ask for some volunteers? We will need three children for this play.”

As a sea of hands rose from the crowd, Link spotted a head of red hair moving about. The owner crept behind the front of the audience and stood still, eyes on the princess.

It was Jonathan.

Link bit his lip. It was now or never.

A loud cheer from the audience brought him back. Link spotted three young children rushing to Zelda’s side, excited reaching for the swords. He watched her direct them to the side of the stairs. They huddled there and smiled as the princess raised her hands.

“Long, long ago, when the Earth was still young,” Zelda said. “There were Five Goddesses.”

Shades of green, blue, red, and purple blurred past Link. He saw five young women (he recognized them as maids from the castle) rush down the stairs, waving silken scarves as they ran.

“Hylia, the Goddess of Light, who kept the land bright and kind,” the princess continued said, gesturing to the maid with yellow fabric. She continued to gesture to different women with differently colored silks. “The Goddess of Water, Nayru, cleansed the world with her tears. And there was Din, the Goddess of Fire, who warmed the land with flame and passion. Farore, the Goddess of Earth, brought forth solid ground and bountiful harvests. And lastly, there was Ordona, the Goddess of Wind, who danced across Hyrule with a cool breeze.

"But then…”

“Not so fast, Goddesses!” a voice boomed.

The young maids fled toward the castle, squealing with fake terror. A tall, bearded man with a large belly marched through the crowd, his black robes dragging after him. He climbed to the step where Zelda and the children stood. Link recognized him in an instant.

“I am Vaati, the most powerful sorcerer in the world!” the King shouted in a silly, evil voice. “This world is mine to rule! OH HO, HO, HO, HO!”

He shook his belly with every “ho.” The townsfolk roared into the night, a mixture of terrified children and cheering adults. Link clasped his free hand to his mouth and tried his best not to burst out laughing.

“The sorcerer Vaati was a terrible beast!” Zelda continued. “He cast cold winds across the lands and…”—she held back a snicker as the King/Vaati shook his belly again—“…struck fear into the hearts of men. But then…” She gestured toward Link. “Just as Hyrule was falling into darkness…!”

Link gulped. With a deep breath, he rushed down the stairs and hopped in front of the three children. “Get back, demon!” he shouted, waving his sword. “We are the heroes of Hyrule, and we will not let you rule this world!”

The children rushed up to him. One of them waved their sword at the King. “Yeah!”

The audience clapped. Among them, Link could a sea of cheers and shouts.

“Go, Jamie!”

“That’s my baby! My baby girl is up there!”

“GET ‘EM, LINK!”

Jonathan triumphantly raised his fist to the sky, a great big smile on his face. Link’s face burned.

“Link,” Zelda whispered. “Your line.”

“Oh!” Link shook his head and turned back to the King, raising his toy sword higher. “Goddesses of Hyrule, lend me your power!”

**_“No.”_ **

Link stopped.

The crowd hushed.

The maids/goddesses froze before they could leave the castle.

Zelda turned to her father. “Papa, that's not your line,” she whispered.

“That wasn’t me,” he said.

**_“So…this is how you celebrate the Elements?”_ **

A harsh, cold wind descended from the sky and across the town. Burning torches flickered, forcing the townsfolk to shiver. Link watched as the King let go of his belly and looked to the heavens. “I am Daphnes Johansen Hyrule,” he said in a powerful tone. “May I ask who is speaking?”

Link heard a deep chuckle.

**_“You don’t know. You don’t know who I am and yet you dare host these ‘parties’ to celebrate the Elements? PATHETIC!”_ **

The ground shook. Crying, the children behind Link ran down the stairs to their parents. The King did not step down. “I may not know who you are, but I do not tolerate anyone who threatens my people,” he growled. “Now stand down or face the wrath of the King of Hyrule!”

**_“You dare to challenge me? How amusing. If that’s what you want, allow me to show you what you’re up against.”_ **

The torches went out.

Gasps of terrified Hylians filled the air.

Link looked around. All he could see was the cover of darkness, just barely making out the crowd, the princess, and the King. He could hear the hushed cries of children from the audience and…

Sloshing?

He listened closely. Whatever that sloshing sound was, it was big—and it was walking toward the crowd.

Link turned to them. “RUN!”

There was a slam.

A man screamed.

Then, the sound of a roof collapsing.

Panicked screams erupted. Everywhere, Link heard the pounding of footsteps, running from the castle to the town. The sloshing sound continued alongside the sound of crashing. The boy looked back to where he heard the crowd running. “Dad?!” he shouted. “Dad, are you there?!”

“Link!”

The tip-tup of footsteps got louder. Reaching out, Link felt a pair of hands with flowery bracelets. “Zelda!” he yelled. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine! What about you? And the children?!”

“I’m okay, and they ran off before things went dark!”

The princess sighed. “Oh, thank the Goddesses.”

The ground shook again, forcing Link to his knees. His hands found Zelda’s and he held tight. Now that she was all right, he could start looking for his father—

Zelda’s hands left his. They fell on his shoulders and she whispered: “No matter what happens, run.”

Link reached out for her, but to no avail. Her footsteps tapped the stairs and faded away, leaving him behind. He balanced himself as the ground shook again. The sloshing sound still rang in his ears, but it was much further now. He reached for the edge of the stairs and slowly made his way down.

A bright flash of white filled the town. Link raised his hand to his eyes, blinded by the sudden light. As his eyes began to adjust, he opened them again. Trails of slime painted the ground and rubble from destroyed homes gradually fell with a thud. He pushed himself onto his feet and spun around. “Zelda!” he shouted. “Are you oka—ZELDA?!”

The princess stood at the center of the stairs, a ball of light hovering from her hands. Her arms then reached for the heavens and the ball shot into the sky. As she swiftly brought her arms down, the ball of light burst into millions of small glowing ones. Zelda waved her arms toward the town and the lights followed, scattering to the blown-out torches.

Link rushed to her side as her eyes opened. She spotted the boy and she drew back. “Link?” she gasped. “What’re you doing here?!”

“I—what was…” Link gestured to the glowing lights. “What was that?!”

“I…uh…”

“Zelda!” The king dashed up the stairs, tossing his Vaati costume aside. “We need to get you out of here!”

“But the people—!”

“You just used Light magic! If we’re not careful, that thing may—!”

The King jerked sideways. His body whipped upward with a large, slimy hand. Gripping his head, it hurled the King into the castle. A loud wham filled the air as the wall cracked.

“Papa!” Zelda cried.

“So THIS is where Hylia’s power has been…”

Link and Zelda jumped. The voice was not as loud as before, but it was too close for comfort. Readying his sword, the boy stood with his back toward the princess. “Who are you?” he growled.

**_“Step aside, brat! I’m here for the girl—wait…”_ **

The voice paused for a moment.

**_“You’re Jonathan’s boy! Now THIS is interesting!”_ **

“Who are you?!” Link yelled.

**_“Who am I?”_ **

The ground at the bottom of the stairs rumbled. Cracks grew in the dirt and a long, slimy, dark purple tentacle burst through. As it grew longer, it slammed its tip into the earth and writhed in every direction. Two long appendages stretched out, shaping into a pair of arms. The rest of a human-like body followed until the remainder of the mass took the shape of a head.

A slimy boy with short hair, long bangs, and even longer sideburns stood before Link.

“Why,” the slime cackled menacingly. “I’m you.”

Link’s eyes widened. “What?!”

Zelda tapped the boy’s shoulder. “Link, get out of here,” she whispered.

Instead, Link raised his sword toward the slime boy. “YOU MONSTER!”

He dashed down the stairs. The slime carelessly slithered past Link, avoiding the blade, and stretched toward the princess. Link then slashed into the creature’s length, again and again and again, ignoring the droplets that flew onto his face.

“Link, look out!” Zelda shouted.

The ground disappear below him. A tight, gooey grip wrapped itself around his neck, swinging him toward the steps. Link’s body hung in front of the slime boy.

“So, you’re name’s Link?” the slime boy smirked. “Consider yourself lucky: I’ll only kill you when the time is right.”

The last thing Link heard was Zelda’s screams.


	4. Heading Out

“How…young b…y…?

“…recov…place…dages…?”

“Link! Link, are you all right?!”

Link struggled to open his eyes. He saw a pitch-black sky through the windows and white blankets over his body. Doctors and nurses walked all around him, helping neighboring patients while holding medicine. He looked to his left. “Dad…?” he groaned.

“It’s okay, son,” Jonathan said, leaning over the bed. “I’m here.”

The boy raised his hand to his head. He felt a soft bandage wrapped there, holding a few hairs underneath. Memories of the festival flooded his mind: the play, the slime, the princess—

Link sat up. “Zelda! Where’s Zelda?!”

“Link, calm down,” Jonathan urged. “You need to rest.”

“I can’t! Zelda’s in danger! And the ki—ow!”

Link grabbed his head. Pain pulsed in his skull.

“Please, son, lie down,” Jonathan continued. “Zelda and the king are being taken care of by the best doctors in Hyrule. You can see them later today, once you’ve fully healed.”

Link nodded and before he knew it, drifted into darkness.

*******************************************************************************************

The next time Link woke up, the sun was in the sky. The bandages, the bed, and even the ground was gone. His father’s face loomed over him, carrying him in his arms

“Don’t move,” Jonathan said softly. “I don’t know how you survived, but the doctors say you should stay home for the rest of the day.” He looked up. “Ah, we’re here.”

Link slowly turned his head and saw the roof of their cottage. Briefly letting go, he felt Jonathan’s hand move from his shoulder to the door. It opened with a loud creak and Jonathan stepped in, kicking the door closed behind him. He turned to the stairs and marched upward to Link’s room. Still holding the boy, he stepped in (the door was already open) and lay his son in the bed.  
“There we go,” Jonathan sighed. “If you ever need anything, just holler.” His gaze turned to the window. “Let’s get you some fresh air.”

“Thanks, Dad, but I feel fine,” Link said.

“After a hard blow to the head, you can never be too careful.” Jonathan pushed the windows open and a soft breeze came in. “For now, you need to rest. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He gently patted Link’s shoulder and went out the door.   
As the footsteps faded, Link took a deep breath and sighed. A slight pang shot through his skull, forcing him to grab the blankets and curl up into a ball. The doctors were right: even with the headache, he could still remember the crunch of his skull hitting the ground. No one could survive that kind of impact.

The slime’s voice rang in his ears: “I’ll only kill you when the time is right.”

Link turned onto his side. Did the slime intentionally let him live? And what did the slime mean by “when the time is right”? Did it mean at any other time than the Festival of Elements?

The princess’ festival gown.

Link gently massaged his temples. His father said she was safe in the castle, but was she really? He saw the slime elongate and attack her. He saw the slime reach for him and dangle him inches from its face. It was possible for Zelda to escape during that period, so maybe she was able to get away—

The screams.

Link shot up from his bed. The headache gone, he kicked off the blanket and hopped onto the floor. He left the room and dashed down the steps, spotting his father in the kitchen. Jonathan turned around and stood aghast. “Link!” he exclaimed. “I thought I told you to lie down!”

“Is Zelda at the castle?” Link asked, ignoring his words.

“Huh? Yes, she is. She’s being helped by doctors right now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Y-yes, I’m sure. She’s perfectly fine, Link, please go back to bed.”

Link came down the final step and hit the floor. “You’re lying.”

“What?”

“I heard her screaming before I was knocked out. She’s not at the castle, is she?”

Jonathan furrowed his brow, his face twisted in thought. Then, he sighed. “She’s not. No one knows where she is, not even the King.”

“Why did you lie to me?”

“Did you think I’d let you run off with that head injury? She might be your friend, but you’re in no condition to do anything right now. The knights will save her soon.”

“But I saw her getting captured! I know who took her!”

“Who was it?”

Link began to explain the events at the Festival. From the torches going out to the slime’s attack, he gave as much detail as he could. Jonathan stood perfectly still, nodding periodically while his son told the story. Finally, he leaned against the table.  
“That blow to your head has made you delusional,” Jonathan groaned.

“I’m not lying!” Link cried. “I saw her get kidnapped!”

“Link, everything went pitch-black when that happened. How do you know Zelda didn’t just run back to the castle?”

“She never did! She was attacked by the slime!”

“The slime isn’t real, Link. Whatever took the princess, the knights will take it out.”

“They can’t! I could barely hit the slime when I attacked it!”

“Then why don’t you tell them about this ‘slime’ of yours? As if they’d listen to you!”

“ _You_ were a knight, Dad! They’d listen to you!”

“I’m no longer—!”

“You could teach me how to fight—!”

“ENOUGH!”

The table shook from Jonathan’s fist. Link stood frozen in his spot. All he could do was watch as his father walked toward him, his eyes ablaze. “You’re not going anywhere,” Jonathan snarled. “There is no slime monster, and you’re going to stay right here until you get that stupid story out of your head.” He stopped in front of his son, towering over him. “Understand?”  
Link nodded, his legs trembling. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Jonathan pointed up the stairs, not taking his eyes off of his son. “Now get back to bed.”

Link turned away from his father and went up the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears. As he closed the door, he fell against the surface and slid down, tears in his eyes. How could his own father call him delusional? He suffered head trauma, yes, but everything he said was the truth: Zelda was kidnapped and the slime was out there. If the King were here, he could confirm everything Link had said.

A gentle wind brushed Link’s hair.

He saw the open window and his bed.

His bed with long sheets.

Wiping his eyes, Link stood up and opened the door. He held his breath, crept down the stairs, and looked over the railing. The red of his father’s hair stood out in the bedroom past the kitchen. He leaned further out and saw the man resting in a chair, his head in his hands—and facing away from the cottage door.

Link silently rushed back up the stairs. He closed the door behind him and immediately went to the bed, ripping off the sheets. He twisted the sheets in his hands began to tie the end of one sheet to another, and then proceeded to tie one loose end into a separate knot. The other loose end, he tied to a leg of his desk.

The boy tiptoed to the window. With a small shove, both sides of the window opened outward, welcoming a warm gust. Link held the amateur rope and looked down: it was a two-story drop. He then slid the rope down the edge of the cottage and watched the bottom knot, shrinking as it sank.

All the rope left Link’s hands. The end dangled just a foot above the ground.

Link tugged on the end tied to the desk, smiling when it held firm. He went back to the windowsill and looked back at the ground. The climbing he and Zelda did on trees…it was similar to that, right? Hold on with both hands and find solid footing? Except here, the tree was much thinner. And flexible. And not meant to hold his weight.  
He took a deep breath. This had to be done.

Link grabbed the rope tightly and swung his leg over the windowsill. “Okay,” he muttered to himself. “Here we go.”

He lifted his other leg and immediately, a twinge of fear ran through him. The two-story drop now seemed endless. The rope wobbled under his weight and the once-soft breeze felt like a raging tornado. He clung tight with now-sweating palms. Maybe he could go back and try the door instead?

Images of his father and the king flashed in his mind.

Link took another deep breath. Keeping his eyes upward, he slowly moved his hands down the rope. The wooden boards of the cottage rose beside him, later stopping at a panel of glass. He stopped and looked inside. His father was still facing away from the window.

The last knot tapped against Link’s knees. He let go and landed on the ground with a small thud. Fear surged through him again and he turned to the window. His father barely moved.

Link frowned. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! Feel free to comment and/or leave constructive criticism!


	5. Legend's Lie

Despite the previous night’s events, the town was as lively as ever. Link heard whispers of the Festival as he ran, all of them about the Royal Family: where was the princess? Where was the King? Were they alive? Were they dead? The last brought images that Link tried to ignore.

The castle came into view. As Link got closer, he spotted a large, a cracked dent at the base of the stairs. It sank deep into the earth, almost as if a meteor had fallen from the sky. He grew dizzy, realizing that the meteor was his head, and kept on.

Link hopped up the stairs, fighting the headaches, and stopped at the entrance. A lone guard stood beside the opening covered in armor and wielding a spear. He looked down at the boy. “State your business,” he said.  
Straightening himself, Link stood as formally as he could. “I…I need to see the King.”

“Do you have an authorized invitation?” the guard asked.

“Huh? Uh…no, I don’t.”

“Turn around.”

“But I need to see him. It’s urgent!”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says.” The guard shoved his hand onto Link’s shoulder and spun him around. “Go home.”

“Wait—!”

“Wilhelm?”

A maid appeared in the castle entrance and walked toward the knight. “Is everything all right? I heard yelling.” Her gaze turned towards Link and she gasped. “Hey, you’re Zelda’s friend!”

Wilhelm raised an eyebrow. “You know this kid?”

“Not personally, but I’ve seen him many times,” the maid beamed, facing Wilhelm. “He’s been friends with the princess since she was four. He also performed last night before…”—she grimaced—“…that happened.”

Wilhelm looked at Link. “Really, now?”

“Yep.” The maid faced Link and bowed. “My name’s Gwen. Is there something you need?”

“I need to speak with the King,” Link answered. “About last night.”

“All right. Come with me…Len?”

“Link.”

“My apologies. Come with me, Link.” Gwen gestured Wilhelm to move, motioning for Link to follow her inside.

Though Link had seen the castle many times, this time was…different. A heavy uneasiness filled the hallways. The servants’ eyes, once lively, were now dark and hesitant. Even their movements had stiffened. Link walked up to Gwen. “How’s the King?” he asked.

“I haven’t seen him recently,” Gwen replied. “But I heard he hasn’t been doing well. Whatever happened to him last night, a lot of his bones were broken. He has to use a cane until he fully recovers…that is, if he does.”  
Link’s gaze dropped to the floor. So that was it.

Gwen stopped. “We’re here.”

The two stood before a large, bright red door lined with gold so bright, it rivaled the sun. Gwen balled her hand into a fist and knocked on the door.

“What part of ‘leave the king alone’ do you not get?!” a voice screeched.

Gwen kept her ground. “I’m sorry, but there’s someone who wishes to see the king. It’s the princess’ friend, Link.”

“Send the brat home! I’m not a babysitter, you brainless—!”

A deeper voice interrupted. “Send him in.”

“M-M-M-Milord?”

“You may bring him inside.”

Gwen grabbed the handles and pushed. Inside, Link saw nothing but royalty. White, silken curtains fell around the windows, turning brighter under sunlight. Sitting across from the door was a giant bed of red velvet. The King lay under a white blanket, his right arm in a sling and his left leg an L-shaped bulge under the sheets. The source of the screeching voice—a crotchety-old doctor covered in wrinkles and spots—glared at Link and Gwen.

“Link,” the King said, sitting up with a grin. “You’re all right.”

“I’m fine,” Link replied. “But how’re you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m just a little busted.”

“‘A little’?!” the doctor shrieked. “Your arm and shoulder are practically shattered! And you can barely move your leg!”

“I’m well aware of the damage, Doctor,” the King sighed. He turned back to Link. “Anyways, you wanted to speak with me?”

Link nodded.

“Very well, then. Gwen, Doctor, please give us some privacy.”

“In _your_ condition?!” the doctor yelled.

“Now.”

The doctor angrily picked up his bag and stormed out of the room, grumbling under his breath. Gwen followed, bowing to the King and closing the door behind her. Once the door clicked, the King gestured to the doctor’s stool. “Have a seat. That doctor was driving me nuts,” he said. “Now, if my suspicions are correct, you want to speak about last night?”

Link nodded. As he sat himself on the stool, he recalled the slime and the havoc wreaked on the town.

The King’s eyes widened. “You were smashed headfirst into the ground and survived?! The Goddesses must really like you,” he exclaimed with a small laugh. Then his expression darkened and he raised his good hand to his chin. “But still, this is isn’t good. If this keeps going, history might repeat itself.”

“Repeat itself?”

“Oh! Um…” The King looked down and he sighed. “Well, since you’re now involved in this, you deserve the truth.” He looked at Link. “Do you know the legend of the Heroes and the Elements?”

“Yes, sir,” Link said. “Vaati chased the five Goddesses out of Hyrule until the four Heroes brought them back—”

“No, no, Link. Do you know the real legend?”

Link’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“The legend you and the people of Hyrule grew up with is…partially true. It was rewritten so no one could bring Vaati back.”

“What?!”

“In reali—oogh, damn this arm—in reality, one Hero saved Hyrule. Before the battle, the hero presented four items that represented the elements of Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind, similar to what we use to give thanks to the Goddesses. The hero raised their sword to the heavens and, as the Goddesses returned, they split the hero’s soul and swords into four. The split souls possessed the items the Hero set aside, creating the four Heroes we know of today. Then, the Goddesses blessed the four blades with their powers, allowing the four to defeat Vaati.

“But, with the last of his strength, Vaati lashed out and shattered the blades. The Light Goddess Hylia then sealed him within the shards and, as a last resort, melted them into a liquid. She told the Hero that whoever drank that liquid would regain the swords, but at a price. The liquid could only be used if Hyrule is in absolute peril with no hope in sight: reviving the swords means reviving Vaati.

“With that, the goddesses Nayru, Farore, and Din left for the Heavens. Ordona’s whereabouts are a mystery, but Hylia, who fell in love with a mortal, stayed behind. Her lineage became Hyrule’s Royal Family, and her powers have been passed down from mother to daughter ever since.”

Link sat completely stunned. A jumble of words, stories, and images rushed in his mind, from Hylia’s refusal to leave to the hero being one person instead of four—then Zelda.

“Wait.” Link shook his head and leaned toward the King. “If Hylia’s powers are passed down in the Royal Family, does that mean…the light Zelda made…”

The King nodded. “That was Hylia’s light,” he confirmed. “She got it from her mother the moment she was born.” He shuddered. “It haunts me to think of what that creature wants with her.”

Link remembered the slime’s words: “I’m only after the girl.”

“It’s Vaati,” he muttered.

“What?”

“That creature…it has to be Vaati,” Link said. “He wants revenge against the Goddesses!”

“Link, that’s impossible. Hylia sealed Vaati inside the sword—er, liquid—centuries ago. ”

“Maybe the seal weakened and broke after all these years! How else could a dark, slimy creature appear last night?”

The King lowered his eyes in thought. “Monsters aren’t very common in Hyrule, so you may be right on this…” His head then turned away. “But he couldn’t have, I checked. Unless…could he have…?”

Link tilted his head. “Your Highness?”

The royal one cleared his throat. “We have no choice,” he said. “If Vaati is already free, we need to defeat him with the Hero’s swords. Now…” He pointed across the room to a wooden cane. “Could you fetch me that cane? We need to go to the courtyard.”

“Your Highness! A-Are you sure you can walk?”

“With Hyrule’s fate in the balance, I’ll crawl if I have to,” the King declared. “Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! This chapter turned out to be more dialogue-heavy than I thought, but I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I...actually have a little confession to make. I originally wasn't going to post this fanfic online. In fact, I wasn't going to write it at all: I was convinced everything I wrote would be horrible. However, I managed to put pen to paper (or in this case, hands to keyboard) and got four chapters down.
> 
> So while the first four chapters were already written when I started posting online, the editing process took a little longer. The next few chapters have yet to be written and edited, so it may take a bit longer to post in the future. I hope this doesn't cause any problems for anyone.
> 
> Thank you again for reading and feel free to comment and/or leave any constructive criticism!


	6. The Split

Walking through the castle was not easy. While the King could walk with the cane, servants immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed to him. One servant, upon seeing His Majesty, shoved Link to the floor to help him. Link had never seen the King so angry at a butler.

Eventually, the ceiling vanished, leaving nothing but a clear afternoon sky. Lines of trees and shrubs stretched along the path, guiding visitors into the center of the courtyard. As the two approached a fountain, the King hobbled to a tile in the ground and pushed it with his cane. The tile sank and, with a slight tremor, a large tile by the fountain slid open. Link squinted: the faint shadow of a staircase sank deep into the darkness.

“There’s a torch further down the steps,” the King said. “From there, it’s just a straight line to our destination.”

Stepping forward, Link held his hand against the wall and made his way down. His fingers slide across the dirt structure, slowing when the tap of the King’s cane grew distant. He stepped downward and a pole of wood brushed against his hand. He looked over, seeing the flame of a torch. He took the torch from its perch and continued.

The torch in his right hand and the wall against his left, Link kept on, sinking deeper and deeper into the earth. He looked over his shoulder, the light of the entrance just a small speck. As he turned around a sliver of sunlight poured down before him. He stopped. Just a few steps below lay a large room full of stones. Six stones stood around the center of the room where a single rock sat, the sunlight falling onto a glass vial.

Link gaped. “Is that…?”

“Yes,” the King answered behind him. “That’s the liquid of the melted swords.”

Link came down from the last step, his eyes still on the vial. The King limped into the room after him, heading straight for the middle stone. 

“Wait!” Link ran up to the King. “Let me do this.”

The King’s eyes widened. “ _You_ want to revive the swords?” he exclaimed. “But you’re too young! And you don’t know how to fight! I will not let you risk your life.”

“Your Highness, you can barely stand without that cane. If something were to happen to you, Hyrule would be without a King. Besides…” Link’s free hand curled into a fist. “It’s me Vaati wants.”

“Link—”

“I can learn how to fight, I can lure him out of hiding, I can recognize him on sight…if he wants to kill Zelda or me when the time is right, I’ll kill him first. Please. Let me do this.”

The King’s eyes darted from Link to the vial. He gripped the cane tightly and bit his lip, hesitation holding his breath. Finally, the King limped to one of the stones circling the middle and sat down. “Give me the torch,” he said. “You’ll need both hands to open that vial.”

Link nodded, rushing over to hand over the torch. “Thank you,” he said.

The King positioned the cane between his legs and took the flame. “Be careful.”

Nodding, Link spun around and went to the middle stone. He picked up the vial, holding it between two fingers and a thumb. The clear glass shined under the light and underneath it, a strangely-colored fluid rocked back and forth under the cork in the vial’s opening. Grabbing the cork with his free hand, he gripped tightly and pulled. It popped open and in an instant, the scent of metal filled Link’s nose. He grimaced: how long had the liquid been down here again? He shook the thought out of his head and, taking a deep breath, began to drink. His tongue fought against him, wanting to spit out the mixture. Instead, he slapped his hand over his mouth and swallowed. 

The King leaned in nervously. “How do you feel?”

Link opened his eyes. Lowering his hand, he looked at the King. “I feel…fine,” he said, confused. “It tasted horrible, though.”

“It _was_ four melted blades.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Link’s stomach lurched. The stones and the King began to blur. His head began to spin and he leaned against the middle stone.

The King froze. “Link?”

A searing pain shot through Link’s belly. He fell back with a horrible scream, fire tearing at his flesh. High-pitched winds shrieked in his ears and his heart hammered against his ribs. Water squirmed in his body, his blood flowing erratically. A voice called out and his bones shook. The sound of tearing fabric came from below him and four, blurry lights rose in his vision. He shut his eyes as they shone brighter.

Laughter.

Thunder.

Cheering.

Scribbling.

And then nothing.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************

“Ugh…”

Cool marble pressed against Link’s cheek. As he pushed himself up, he saw the middle stone covered in shards of glass. More pieces of the vial lay around him, along with shreds of brown fabric and a ripped leather handle. “My bag!” he exclaimed, reaching for it.

Link stopped. A cracked, wooden hand reached out. He willed his fingers to move. The hand’s fingers moved instead. He held up his other hand, horrified to see it covered in tree bark. Quickly, he hopped onto his feet—and terror filled him. His feet were now wooden roots scraping against the floor, the bark running from his toes to under the belt that held his oversized tunic (he was too scared to look under it). From his hands to his upper arms was wooden flesh with small twigs carrying infantile leaves. He reached for the white shirt sleeve under his tunic and pulled it back: the wooden skin ended at his shoulder.  
Link held his fingers to his head. He sighed in relief, feeling soft skin. He moved his hands further and the relief instantly vanished. Vein-like bumps ran around the edges of his face, growing as he reached into his hair and…flowers? Leaves and flowers tangled in his hair as he brushed against them. He pinched one and pulled.

“Ow!”

A beautiful, pink flower petal rested between Link’s wooden fingers, a tinge of red on the plucked end. Tossing it aside, he reached for the top of his head. A sharp pang shot through his head. He pulled back and reached again, but much slower. A twig poked out from the upper right side of his skull, another growing on his left. He fingered the twigs on his head. “What happened to me?” he whispered.

“Are you okay?”

Link looked over—and screamed. He rushed back as a large fire burned in front of him. Stopping himself, Link saw the fire’s shape. Two long flames jutted out from what looked like the fire’s torso, and two more stuck out from the sides like arms. Smaller flames danced from a head-like figure where he saw a face and a pair of ruby-red eyes. He stood aghast. “I—what—you—!”

The creature tilted its head with a boyish chirp. “Hmm?”

“WHAT ARE YOU?!”

“Huh?” The fire brought its hands to its mouth, a sad expression on its face. “I’m not scary, am I…?”

“People aren’t usually on fire!” Link shrieked. “ _And alive while on fire_!”

“But…I didn’t mean to be…” The creature dropped its head into its hands and sobbed.

Link softened his tone. “I-I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to—I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”

The creature looked back at Link, wiping a small drop of lava from its eye. “It’s okay,” it sniffled. “I’m new to this, too.” It took a deep breath and, as it looked at Link, began to smile. “Hey! You look just like me!”

“No, we don’t.”

“Well, if I was a flower tree, we could be twins. I could have red flowers, too!” It clapped its hands. “My name’s Link! What’s yours?”

Link froze. “…what?”

“OH, COME ON!”

Both Link and the fiery boy jumped. Behind the flame, Link saw a blond-haired boy—who looked just like him—on the floor. A string of pearls ran around the back of his head and dangled under his bangs, where three blue gems lay. Strange, blue fins stuck out where his ears would have been, ending with a patch of blue scales around his sideburns. A white shirt clung to his body under a blue tunic and Link saw the back of the boy’s clothing cut wide open, revealing a long blue fin that ran down his spine. More blue fins ran on the boy’s arms, ending at his webbed, blue-tinged hands. He gestured at a long, sapphire fish tail that replaced his legs. “How am I supposed to be the hero with this?!” he groaned.

“At least you have hands.”

Behind the finned boy stood another doppelganger of Link. He wore a sleeveless purple tunic that wrapped around the right side of his body, accentuating a pair of large wings in the same color. The feathers began from the boy’s shoulders and reached outward like fingers, if he had any. Below his belt was a pair of baggy white pants that hung at his knees, leaving a pair of clawed talons where his feet would have been. His amethyst eyes spotted Link. As he walked, Link spied the flurry of feathers that hung at the sides of his face. Were those his ears?

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you earlier,” the feathered boy said, holding out his wing. “My name is Link.”

“Wait a minute!” The finned boy glared at the feathered boy. “I’m Link!”

“Hey, me too!” The fiery boy cheered.

“Seriously?!” The finned boy looked at Link. “If you say you’re Link, I’m gonna bash your brains in!”

Link glanced at the three creatures before him. “Um…”

“You’re _all_ Link.”

All four whipped around and saw the King, grasping at the stone he sat on from the ground. Link and the fiery boy rushed over. As Link swung the King’s good arm around his shoulder, the fiery boy reached for his cast. Dark smoke rose from the bandages, forcing the flaming child away.

“I—I didn’t mean…I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

The King shook his head. “Don’t worry. I appreciate your help.”

Link helped the King onto his feet. Once the cane held his weight, Link stepped back.

“As I was saying,” the King continued. “You’re all Link. Rather, a part of him. After he drank the liquid, his soul was split into four.” He gestured to the boys. “You four.”

“Wait,” Link said. “If my soul—his?—was split into four, why’re we…”—he gestured to himself—“…monsters?”

“It could have something to do with the legend,” the feathered boy answered from the back. Link spun around and saw him pointing at the torn bag. “You still had that the whole time, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did,” Link responded. “I actually forgot about it until…well…just now.”

“What was in it?”

“It was stuff I use for giving thanks every Festival. A lantern, a twig from a flower tree…wait.” Link looked over to the King. “The Hero had four items for the Elements. We just did the same thing!”

“Great,” the finned boy said. “Now where’re the swords?”

The fiery boy pointed to the right. “Guys, look!”

At the far right of the room, a small figure lay in the corner. From the dim sunlight, Link saw a head of blond hair and a green tunic. He gasped. “That’s…!”

“That’s _me_!” the finned boy shouted.

Blazes of fire and purple shot past Link. He watched the fiery boy levitated inches off the ground while the feathered boy soared through the air, both of them landing at the unconscious body. Link began to run.

“Hey!” The finned boy yelled. “Legless Link here!”

Link stopped and groaned, walking toward the finned boy. He held out both arms and placed one under the boy’s tail.

“Hey, you’re not carryin’ me like a bride!” the finned boy growled.

“I might have to. I mean…I never carried a fish this big before.”

_“Fish?!”_

“No, I—! I haven’t seen anyone like you or any of these guys before. It’ll only be for a few seconds.”

The finned boy groaned. “Fine.”

Placing his other arm under the finned boy’s back, Link heaved the creature off the ground. His legs wobbled and a pair of finned arms wrapped around his neck. Link took a deep breath. Was he always this heavy?

Link walked over to the others. The fiery boy and the feathered boy knelt beside the collapsed child, illuminated by the burning one’s light. It was the original Link, his eyes closed and his skin pale. The feathered boy held his wing over his mouth. None of the feathers budged.

“He’s not breathing,” the feathered boy whispered.

“W-Wait.” The fiery boy shook. “Does that mean I…we…we’re _dead?!”_

A small light glowed from the original Link’s chest. It grew bigger and brighter, swallowing the body as it shined. The light then burst along with the body, splitting off into four stars. Link and the three boys watched them fly across the room, circling the stones and the sunlight. The fiery boy and the feathered boy rose up and stood by Link as the lights slowed down. They hovered toward the four boys, elongating into the form of four sharp blades.

“The Four Sword!” the King shouted. “Quick! Take them as your own!”

The finned boy whipped his arm away from Link and snatched one of the swords. The fiery boy curiously reached out, gripping a sword with a flaming hand. The feathered boy clasped his wings around another sword and fumbled to hold it steady. As the last sword levitated, Link gently put down the finned boy and grabbed the hilt. The light around the four swords shot away from the blade and at the wielders, blinding them. As Link opened his eyes, he felt a brown belt and a scabbard hanging around his body. He looked at his hand and saw a sharp silver blade with, a golden grip, a green gem embedded in the pommel. “This is it,” he whispered in awe. “The sword of the Hero.”

“Wow, how’d you figure that out?” the finned boy scoffed.

Link turned to the King, ignoring the sarcastic remark. “So…what do we do now?” he asked.

“We’ll need to start the search for Vaati and Zelda,” the King said. “But first, you four need sword-fighting lessons. Now, I might be beaten up, but back in my da—huh?”

A cold breeze filled the room. Link felt his petals gently swaying with the breeze, closing his eyes against the soft wind. Then, the petals desperately clung to his scalp. Link fell to the ground, the wind howling and screaming all around him. He opened his eyes and saw the finned boy swing his blade toward the wind. “You want a piece o' this?!” he snarled.

“This isn’t a good time for that!” Link shouted. He looked over at the feathered boy and the fiery boy. “Are you guys all right?!”

“Barely!” The feathered boy called out, his body pressed against the floor.

The fiery boy held his hands over his head. “Please don’t put me out!” he cried.

Link looked over to the King, who clung onto a faraway stone. “Your Majesty, what’s going on?!”

He froze. From the middle stone, a dark tornado rose. Shards of the vial spun in the air as black tentacles reached out from the winds. They writhed and curled in every direction, a single red eye opening in the black cyclone.

“At last!” An eerie voice cackled. “After so many years, I’m finally free!”

Keeping himself low, Link called out to the eye. “Who are you?!”

The eye turned to him. “I am the darkness that even the night fears. I am the shadow that terrorized your ancestors.” A deep laugh shook the ground. “I am Vaati, the greatest sorcerer who ever lived!”  
A chill ran down Link’s spine.

“You honestly thought I was free? I must thank you for being so gullible!” Vaati continued. “Now if you excuse me, I’ve got some business to do!”

The tornado ripped the earth above, bringing down dirt and rock. It reached higher and higher, tearing through the ground and to the sky. The blue sky darkened and gray clouds gathered around the winds.

Lightning and thunder boomed from above.

A flash of orange fire fell into the tornado.

The feathered boy floated off the ground and into the cyclone.

A scaly tail hit Link’s shoulder and he fell forward.

A sea of black winds blurred in his eyes. Reaching for the ground, Link pushed against the tornado as torn earth and green grass whirred past him.

The tornado sank and Link saw Hyrule disappear into the clouds below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, this was a long chapter (compared to other chapters which were three pages, this was SIX @_@). Now that this chapter's been taken care of, it's time to get to the adventure!
> 
> Thank you very much for reading! Feel free to comment or leave any constructive criticism!


	7. Salt, Fire, and Flesh

Dark clouds swirled all around Link, harsh winds blowing against his face. The tunnel of wind roared and carried him weightlessly as Vaati’s words echoed in his ears. 

_“You honestly thought I was free? I must thank you for being so gullible!”_

Dread poured into him. With the appearance of the slime-child, Vaati had to have been released. No such creature had ever appeared in Hyrule and it was impossible for Link to not assume it was Vaati. Could it have been one of Vaati’s tricks? If it were a trick, would Vaati have to already be free beforehand?  
But none of it mattered now.

Hyrule was doomed and it was his fault.

_“KID IN THE GREEN!”_

Link gasped. He spun around and saw the feathered boy behind him, struggling to open his wings. The wind beat against his feathers and every now and then, Link spotted a purple tuft flying into the abyss behind them.

“It’s about time,” The feathered boy shouted. “I’ve been calling you for five minutes!”

“I’m okay!” Link called out. “Where’re the others?”

The feathered boy fought against the wind and pointed down. Following his gesture, Link turned. Further ahead was the sparkling tail of the finned boy, his arms shielding his head from the gales. Just below him, Link saw a dimming blaze of orange curled into a ball, facing away from him. Link cupped his hands beside his mouth and shouted. “Fire kid! Are you okay?!”  
The fiery boy slowly lifted his head—and screamed.

The dark clouds around the four began to part. Before Link was a green island, standing below a clear blue sky. His eyes darted further down, where the deep blue of the sea crashed and roared.  
A purple blur shot past him. Glancing away, Link saw the feathered boy rush through the air, his talons opening. He dove down and caught the fiery boy’s arms before they hit the waves. The two flew off, soaring to the island ahead.

Everything went cold. Link waved his arms, beating against the salt waves that flowed around and above him. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing broken rays of sunlight, and began to swim. Just then, the cold that enveloped him turned hot. Burning. Scalding, even. Link slapped his hands over his mouth and held back his screams. Every movement seared his flesh, the bark of his fingers digging into his cheeks. He looked back to the surface. The lights were fading, blurring into nothing in his eyes. His lungs pounded against his ribs and his hands fell away.  
A pair of arms wrapped around his chest. The burning cooled as Link felt himself shooting upward. Soon, the surface broke and fresh air flooded his lungs. He took a deep gasp and flailed, struggling to keep his arms above the water. “Help!!” he cried. “I’m burning!”

“No, you’re not!”

Link stopped. Fighting the pain, he lowered his arms and looked over his shoulder. The finned boy’s face hovered just inches from his, and he felt the pair of arms leave his chest. Link watched the finned boy swim in front of him, gripping Link’s wooden wrists in his webbed fingers. He wrapped Link’s arms around his shoulders. “Hold on tight!” the finned boy shouted.  
Link took a deep breath and the two sank. The finned boy’s tail beat rapidly against the water, propelling himself and his passenger through the sea. Link clung tightly to the finned boy’s shoulders and shut his eyes against the burning salt. He knew the finned boy was in his natural element, but he never thought he could swim this fast. The finned boy began to swim faster. Gripping even tighter, Link felt the pressure of the waves lessen.

The water broke away. Releasing his breath, Link opened his eyes and saw the rocky footing of a cliff. The brown of the earth sank deep below him as the finned boy soared, flying from the bottom of the cliff to a beautiful green meadow. The finned boy leaned forward. He slipped out of Link’s arms and the two began to fall.

WHAM.

“Ow! Augh…”

A sharp ache shot through Link’s arms and chest. He felt the prickling of the salt fade in a cool breeze, sending chills through him. He curled into a ball and hugged himself tightly. Under his fingers, he felt the wood of his skin, dry and cracking as he breathed. The air scratched at his throat and he coughed. 

“Aw, yeah!”

Link pushed himself up. Ignoring the pain in his joints, he saw the finned boy sitting on the ground, punching the air triumphantly.

“Look out, Hyrule, ‘cause this Link can fly!” he cheered.

Images of the fiery boy and the feathered boy appeared in Link’s mind. He got onto his feet and ran to the other boy. “Hey!” he shouted. “Do you see the others?”

The finned boy spun around. “No,” he replied. “We just got here.”

Link turned his gaze to the land ahead. Along the cliff where they stood was a small meadow, but further ahead lay patches of grassless earth. A line of lighter ground led from the meadow to a forest, guarded by a line of bushes. It was then Link noticed an unusual lack of dirt near one of the shrubs. Lines of dry dirt were shoved aside, forming an outline of a person’s head and shoulders.

Link froze. A smoking, purple feather sat at the edge of it.

“Hey,” the finned boy said. “Isn’t that…?”

Link rushed to the finned boy and hoisted him off the ground. “C’mon!”

Ignoring the creaking in his knees, Link ran down the path. The finned boy turned to face the forest and the two shouted into the woods.

“Hello?! Is anyone here?!”

“Bird-boy! Burning kid?!”

A small flame rose from behind a tree. Seeing an innocent face in the fire, Link rushed to it. There, he saw the fiery boy hovering nervously around a dry patch of land. In the dirt lay the feathered boy, groaning on all fours. Link looked further down and saw red, sweltering welts in his claws.

“I didn’t—he grabbed me while I was falling,” the fiery boy sniffled. “He saved me and I…I’m so sorry…”

“Calm down,” the feathered boy grunted. “It’s not— _augh!_ —your fault.”

The fiery boy looked at Link. “Did you see a village when you got her?” he pleaded. “Please tell me you saw a village!”

“We didn’t,” Link replied. “But even if we did, we couldn’t go looking like this. We could be attacked—or worse.”

“But if we don’t get help, he’ll die!” the fiery boy cried, pointing at the feathered boy.

“People can’t die from a single burn,” the feathered boy said. “At least, not from one like this. It shouldn’t be that deep.”

The fiery boy knelt down next to him, levitating a few inches off the ground. “But still…”

“If there was a village here, we could sneak in,” Link said. “Or if one of us looked the most normal…”

The finned boy raised his hand. “I’ll do it!”

“Boys with fish tails aren’t normal,” Link replied.

“Says the talking tree.”

“Well, what’s your plan?”

“I’ll just stay in the water! They don’t have to see my tail.”

“And your ears?”

The finned boy slapped his hands over his ears, feeling the fins. He crossed his arms and grumbled. “It would’ve worked.”

“Hello?”

The four boys froze. The voice came from deep in the forest.

_WHUMP._

“What do we do?!” the fiery boy shouted.

“Hide in the bushes!” Link answered boy.

“But I’ll set it on fire!”

“Dang it! Um…go back to the cliff!”

The fiery boy began to float down the path but stopped, pointing at the feathered boy. “What about him?”

“Help me roll him into—wait, no—um…just go to the cliff!”

“Is someone there?” the voice called again.

The feathered boy groaned, shifting his legs. “They’re getting close,” he muttered.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” the fiery boy exclaimed. “We’re gonna get kicked out!”

Link grabbed the twigs in his hair. “What do we do?!”

“I know what I’m gonna do.”

A hand grabbed Link’s collar. The finned boy tugged Link toward him in his right hand, his left hand curled into a fist.

“I’m gonna punch you in the face for dropping me!” he shouted.

“Wait!” the fiery boy shouted. “Are you…standing?”

The finned boy scoffed. “Yeah. What of it?”

Link’s eyes widened. Shaking the finned boy off, he stepped back. The sparkling fish tail was gone, now replaced with a pair of human legs. The finned boy’s shirt draped down to his knees and covered the middle, ruffling under the finned boy’s hands as he gaped at his ability to walk. He looked up and, with a shocked expression, pointed at Link. “Whoa,” he gasped. “You changed, too!”

Link looked down. The wooden bark that covered his legs and arms had vanished, revealing normal flesh. He raised his hands to his face. The ridges that poked at the edge of his face were gone and flower petals rained from his hair, no longer attached to him. The twigs in his head also disappeared and he felt all around, as if searching for them.

He turned. The fiery boy, like his earthly features, was gone. In their stead sat two, normal-looking boys. One of them was a youthful blond with blue eyes wearing a red tunic and white tights. A pointed red head dangled as he looked over to the feathered boy next to him. Instead of feathers, a pair of human ears stuck out in his hair. Human arms supported him instead of wings and a pair of red, burned feet replaced the burned talons. 

The feathered boy lifted one of his hands to his face. “How did…?”

“There you are!”

The boys spun around and the first thing they saw was a giant horse. Its deep umber coat shone under dark reins as it towered over the children. Next to the horse, a young girl watched the four with bright brown eyes, wiping a strand of curly red hair. “I heard screaming earlier,” she said. “Are you all okay?”

Link stared transfixed at the girl. Remembering the situation, he shook his head. “No,” he said. “My friend on the ground. H-he needs help.”

The girl looked at the originally-feathered boy’s feet. “Oh, gosh!” She exclaimed. “Here, let me get you home!” She pulled on the horse’s reins. “C’mon, Epona.”

The horse bent its hind legs. As it sank, she ran to the once-feathered boy and grabbed his arm. She gestured to Link and he ran to her, grabbing the other arm. Together, the two hoisted the injured child off the ground and onto the horse.

“Okay,” the girl said. “One, two, and…up!”

The horse straightened its legs. Panicking, the once-feathered boy clung to the horse’s neck, avoiding the ground. Taking a deep breath, he let go, seeing the creature stand perfectly.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” the girl exclaimed. She turned to Link with a smile. “My name’s Erune and this is Epona. What’re your names?”

Link looked at the other boys nervously. “I’m Li—wait.”

“Li?”

“No, no, it’s…um…”

“His name’s Green!”

Link and Erune spun around, eyeing the once-fiery boy. “Green?” Link asked.

“Yeah! And I’m Red!” the once-fiery boy said, cheerfully and nervously. He pointed to the once-finned boy. “He’s Blue…” He pointed to the once-feathered boy. “And he’s…P—Viol…?”

Erune tilted her head. “Vio?”

“Y-yeah! His name’s Vio! Thank you so much for your help, Erune!”

Erune giggled. “You’re most welcome,” she said with a curtsy. “Now, let’s go. My sister’s farm isn’t far from here. C’mon, Epona.” She gently pulled on the reins and Epona followed, carrying the now-named Vio with ease.

The once-finned boy glared at Red. “’Blue’?” he muttered. “Really?”

“She asked for our names, I panicked,” the once-fiery boy whimpered.

“Well, we can’t all be called ‘Link’,” Link said with a shrug. “Good thinking there, Red.”

Red giggled and ran up to Epona and Vio.

“Ugh, ‘Blue’…” the once-finned boy groaned. “I’m not gonna get used to that.”

Link walked alongside the other, repeating the word “Green” in his head. If there was a time to get used to his new name, he had to start practicing now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait! While I was writing this chapter, a handful of things happened in life. Thankfully, I managed to get some time to reread, edit, and revamp this chapter.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading and please leave any comments or constructive criticism!


	8. Lon Lon Liars

Below the bright blue skies lay a vast field, cows and chickens wandering around the grass. Long brown fences stretched around to the forest, leaving a single opening where Erune and the four boys entered. Red ran ahead and twirled, breathing in the fresh farm air.

As Green watched him, a melody rang in his ears. He strained his ears: it was a woman's voice, and she sounded close. His eyes searched the field and he spotted a large house just beyond a hill. There, a red-haired woman stood by a clothesline, singing as she hung damp clothing.

"That's my sister," Erune said. Her hand shot upwards and she waved. "Malon, I'm back!"

Green almost lost sight of Erune, Epona and Vio. He broke into a sprint and the last two boys followed. As they got closer, Green saw the woman named "Malon." Her long red hair swayed with the breeze, accentuating her deep blue eyes. They saw Erune and she instantly stopped singing. Green's heart sank when she did.

"Welcome back, Erune," Malon said. Her eyes turned to Epona, spotting Vio on the horse's back and the three boys behind them. "Oh, and you made some friends!"

"Yep," Erune replied. "That's Green, that's Blue, that's Red, and this is Vio."

"Aww, that's so cute! You're all color-coded!"

Green looked down at his shirt. He never thought of Red's naming system as "cute." Looking to his left, he saw Red giggling nervously—and Blue glaring daggers at him.

"Y—yeah," Green chuckled. "We sure are."

Erune rushed to Malon's side and grabbed her arm. "Malon, Vio burned his feet real bad. Do you think we have anything that can help?"

"Burned his feet? Lemme see." Malon stepped around her sister and to Epona's side. She gently placed her hands on Vio's left ankle. He winced as she tilted his foot. "Holy cricket! What did you do?!"

Vio blinked. "I…stepped on the sand," he answered hesitantly. "Without proper footwear. I didn't know it was that hot until it was too late."

Malon raised an eyebrow. "The sand?"

"Yes, ma'am. There was a beach by the cliff."

"Hmm…all right." Malon looked back at Vio's foot. "I do believe we've still got that plant from Holodrum. Some fancy-pants salesman gave it to us for free, said it was good for burnt tongues."

"It tastes awful," Erune groaned.

"Lucky for our friend here, he won't have to eat it." Malon stepped back. "Now, Vio, I'm gonna need you to come down, okay? Don't worry, I'll catch you."

Positioning himself, Vio slid down Epona. Malon caught him in her arms and held him aloft. "Whoa, you're light for a little boy!" she exclaimed. "And Erune, you can take Epona back to the stable."

Erune nodded and took the horse's reins. As the two walked away, Malon turned to Green, Red, and Blue. "So, are any of you boys hungry?"

Green thought about the infirmary and his home. He barely remembered eating anything while being treated at the castle, and he left the house before he could have breakfast. He opened his mouth to answer, but a different noise came out: a loud rumbling form his, Blue, and Red's stomachs.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Malon said with a smile. She turned toward the house. "Just c'mon in and I'll whip something up."

"All right, I'm starving!" Blue cheered, running after the older woman.

Green's stomach growled, even louder this time. Before he could run, a hand softly fell on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Red's eyes, scarlet and dark with worry.

"Green?" Red whispered. "Um…about the names I picked. A-are they really okay?"

Green smiled. "Don't worry, Red. They're fine."

"And Vio? Will he be okay?"

Green turned toward him. "Malon knows what she's doing," he muttered. "And Vio doesn't hate you." He took Red's hand. "Now, c'mon: they're waiting for us."

He led the once-fiery boy to Malon and Blue as they entered the building.

************************************************************************************************

Green and Blue sat in two wooden chairs by a table, deeply inhaling the smell of lunch. Malon stood by a window with her hand stirring a pot. Red waited beside her, breathing the scents of beef and stew while passing ingredients to the chef. Behind them sat Vio and Erune, the boy's feet propped onto a wooden stool. Erune held a potted plant in one hand and broke off leaves with the other. The broken leaves were then placed on the bottom of Vio's feet, who inhaled sharply with every touch.

"Just hold on a little longer," Erune said. "I just need to cover a few more spots before I bandage them." She looked over to Malon. "Am I doing it right?"

The older sister glanced at the leaves on the boy's feet. "I think that should do it." Her eyes fell on Red and she patted his head with her free hand. "So where're you boys from? I've never seen you around these parts."

Blue leaned back in his chair. "We're from Hyrule," he called out.

Malon and Erune quickly spun around toward him, their eyes wide. "You're…" Erune gasped.

"You're from Hyrule?!" Malon exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Blue shouted, raising his hands. "Is that a bad thing?"

"It's not bad, but it's really far," Erune answered. "It's three oceans away from us."

Green could not breathe. Overtaken with shock, he shot up from his chair. "We were thrown that far?!" he cried.

"Hey, you were thrown _with_ us," Blue said.

"Wait a minute," Green muttered. "If we're three oceans away from Hyrule…" His hands flew to his head. "Where the heck are we?!"

"Green, calm down," Vio called out. "We'll just check the map and see where we are. You did bring a map, did you?"

"We—I didn't have time to—" Green paced back and forth. "Oh Goddesses, how will we get back?! Can we even get back?!"

Red reached toward him. "Green, it'll be oka—"

Blue jumped out of his chair and stomped toward Green. "You were all set to find Zelda and you didn't bring a map?!"

"I didn't think we'd end up here!" Green yelled in a panicked voice. "Heck, I didn't think _you_ guys would—!"

Blue grabbed Green's shirt collar. "Now Hyrule's doomed and it's your fault!"

Red ran to them. "Guys, stop—!"

"Shut up, Red—!"

_PANG, PANG, PANG!_

Green, Red, Blue, and Vio shrank down. As his ears recovered from the noise, Green saw Malon with her stirring spoon, splotches of food on the side of the pot.

"Much better," Malon sighed. She tossed the spoon into the pot, her eyes on the boys. "Now, I don't know what you're talking about, this…Hyrule, Zelda, and being-thrown-out business. But if there's one thing I know, it's that you can never think straight on an empty stomach. You're all going to sit down and eat. Then you can figure stuff out."

Green's eyes darted to Erune. She met his glance and nodded. "She's right."

He stepped toward Malon. "But—"

"No 'buts', young man," Malon ordered. "You're not getting a map until you're full. Understand?"

Green held his breath. His stomach was begging for food, but could he really eat right now? What about Hyrule? What about Zelda? What about—?

A hand fell on his right shoulder. Green shook, only realizing it was Red. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good boy!" Malon chirped. She turned back to the stew, later looking over to see Red. "Now, Red, can you grab some bowls for me? They're in the upper right cabinet."

Red's face lit up and he ran, opening the cabinet door and grabbing a set of bowls. Green looked out the window as Malon assigned the other children certain tasks. Fields of green lay ahead, but all he could see was three strange oceans and a destroyed, barren Hyrule.

*******************************************************************************************

The sun crawled down to the earth, painting an orange hue on the once-blue sky. From the window of the sisters' house, Vio sat in a wooden chair with his feet propped on a second chair, his eyes wandering the fields. Behind him were two large beds and the three other boys, who sat on the hardwood floor. Green groaned as he slumped against the wall. "I don't think I could eat another bite."

"I could," Red said happily.

Blue looked at Red. "You had three bowls of food and then some," he exclaimed. "Where does it all go?"

"My stomach?"

"That's no—ugh, nevermind."

Three knocks came from the door. Green directed his gaze and saw Erune in the open doorway, a rolled-up scroll in her arms. "Hi, everyone," she greeted. "How're you feet doing, Vio?"

Vio straightened his back and raised his foot, slightly wincing. "Much better than before," he said. "I must give you and your sister my regards."

"You're welcome," Erune said with a bow. "I'll tell Malon you said 'thank you.' Oh, I got you something." She walked into the room and held the scroll out in front of her. "I'm not allowed in Daddy's room, but Malon said I could get this. It's one of Daddy's maps."

Red sat up. "Your papa's here?" he asked. "Should we go say hi?"

"Nope. He's out traveling across the world, selling our special Lon Lon milk." Erune put a hand on her hip and smiled. "It's the number one milk brand in all the land!"

Vio cleared his throat.

"Oh! Hold on just one second…" Erune walked over to Vio's side. She knelt down and unfurled the scroll on the floor, the other three following after her. Green took a seat by her left and looked down at the page. Three large continents were drawn in brown ink, surrounded by three vast oceans. Two thin islands sat in the lower-left corner of the map, connected by an even thinner strip of land. Northeast of the islands sat a large round continent separated by a line of triangles, each side labeled with a different name.

Erune's finger pointed at the lower left. "We're on Lon Lon Isle, which is here," she said, tapping the bottom half of the connected islands. Her finger trailed along, crossing over the large continent to the next landmass, far to the east. She stopped at an island, smaller than the middle area but much bigger than Lon Lon Isle. "And Hyrule is way over here."

Red shivered. "That's…really far."

The girl's hand softened on the map, laying on the paper like a lifeless doll. Her blue eyes grew dark as she closed her eyes.

"Erune?" Green asked. "Is everything okay?"

Erune opened her eyes and sighed. "After my sister said you could rest up here, she called me to speak with her after lunch," she said. "She…she doesn't trust you."

"Doesn't trust us?"

"Did we do something wrong?" Red asked.

"No, no, it's not you," the girl continued. "It's…Vio said he burned his feet at the cliff, but my sister and I have explored this land since we were children. There're no beaches anywhere near our ranch. The only beaches on this island are by the docks in Koholint, and that's a morning's wagon-ride away."

Green gulped.

"Malon said your story didn't add up, but…" Erune lifted her head and looked at Green, then turning to face the others. "I trust you. You said you were thrown earlier today and, while I don't know what that means, I want to help. Malon trusts me more than anyone, so I was thinking: if you could tell me what really happened, I can tell her she can trust you, too. I can even tell her what happened, if that's what you want."

Green held his breath. His eyes darted from Red, to Blue, to Vio, and then to Erune. The muscles in his body grew tense as the girls' innocent eyes pierced through him. Could he lie to such a nice girl? Could he lie to the girl who helped him and his companions in a time of need?

"Our father threw us out."

All the children spun around. Vio sat calmly in his chair, his face heavy with sadness. "Our mother died in childbirth and Father did his best to support us," he muttered. "But things only worse. He lost his job, we ran out of food…there were too many of us."

Green's stomach dropped.

Erune covered her mouth. "Holy Mothers..."

"He left us on a boat. Told us that he was sorry and that we were better off. We wound up here, but…" Vio's face grew serious. "We can't leave him alone. We have to get back to Hyrule. For his sake."

Green, Red, and Blue sat frozen in their spots, eyes wide and jaws dropped. They returned to a neutral expression when Erune turned to them. "I—I didn't know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

None of the boys answered.

Erune hurriedly stood up, straightening her dress. "I-I'll leave the map with you," she said. "If you need anything—anything at all—I'll be out in the stables. "

Green watched her rush to the door, slamming it shut. Slowly, he stood up, crept to the wall, and pushed his ear against the surface. He heard a pair of feet lightly tap down the stairs to the lower room, fading in volume as they sank. A muffled creak rang in his ear and then a sound of a door closing. He stepped back from the wall and sighed.

_THWACK._

Green spun around. Up ahead, Vio dangled a few inches above his chair, a red rash forming on his left cheek. Blue held his shirt collar in a tight, burning fist.

"How dare you talk about Dad like that," Blue snarled.

"She heard us say we were thrown," Vio answered. "I was just providing more details."

"That was a load of crap and you know it!"

"Do you think it would've been better if I said we were originally one boy who ran away from home, got split into four by drinking a sword, were thrown here by a tornado, and got his feet burned by carrying a flame?"

"It would've been better than lying about Dad!"

Red shot up and grabbed Blue's shoulder. "Blue, please! Let him go!" he cried.

"You heard him! He made Dad look like a monster!"

"Blue, we all heard!" Green shouted, running to him. He stopped right in front of Blue, Vio, and Red. "And it hurt. A lot. But…" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Vio's right. If we told her the truth, she probably wouldn't have believed us. She probably wouldn't have trusted us after that."

Blue glared at Green, gesturing at the liar in his hand. "You're defending him?!"

"No! I just—I just wish we had a better option than to lie. Vio was just…trying to cover for us." Green placed a hand on Blue's wrist. "I'm just as mad as you—"

"You don't look mad."

"I am. But right now, we have to focus. Erune gave us a map, and now we need to figure out how to get back to Hyrule."

Blue looked back at Vio, still hovering from the chair. With an angry huff, he shoved the liar into his seat and dropped to the floor, straightening his sleeve as he landed. Vio positioned himself to get a better view while Green and Red sat down on the floor, all four of the boys now surrounding the map.

Green pointed at Lon Lon Isle. "So we're here…" He redirected his finger to the eastern continent. "And Hyrule's over there."

"What about this thing between Lon Lon Isle and Hyrule?" Red asked, pointing at the blank space south of the continents. His eyes squinted as he read the text. "'The Great Bay'…it's huge."

"It looks like a big ocean," Blue said. "I can swim through that."

"What about us?" Green asked. "Red's made of fire and the salt water hurts."

"He's not on fire now."

"That's not my point."

"I could carry Green there," Vio said. "If I can carry Red while flying, I can carry you." He brought his thumb to his lip. "That does leave Red alone, though."

Blue leaned toward the map. "Wait, where's the 'Koholint docks' Erune talked about it?"

Green pointed at the northern island connected to Lon Lon Isle. "I think it's here."

"There we go. Red can get a boat and sail to Hyrule."

"But the Great Bay is huge!" Red exclaimed. "And it's all water…what if I fall in?"

"I didn't say you had to go across the whole thing. Look." Blue pointed at the continent at the upper right of Lon Lon and Koholint. "You could sail the West sea, walk across the Maku region, sail the Zora ocean, and then get to Hyrule."

"But I wouldn't reach you guys in time. And…I don't want to be alone."

"What are you, five?"

"Red's right." Green reached out and patted Red's blond hair. "We need to focus on traveling together."

Vio lurched from his chair. "Green, look at us," he said. "Blue and I could get there in a heartbeat. If we all travel together, Hyrule will destroyed by the time we got there."

"It would be destroyed if we traveled alone," Green retorted. "Blue, Vio, be honest with me: can you really save Zelda, defeat Vaati, and save Hyrule on your own?"

"Yes," the boys chorused.

Green exhaled sharply. He then turned to Red. "What about you?"

The ruby-eyed boy brought his knees under his chin. "…maybe, but I don't want to lose you guys."

Green nodded. "Yeah, me neither."

"Well, that didn't solve anything," Blue groaned, leaning backward.

"Well, Erune and Malon are letting us stay the night," Vio said. "And it sounds like Koholint is the main port. We could ask them to give us a ride tomorrow morning."

"And what would we do after that?"

"We can figure that out once we get there."

Green looked at the boys. "Does that sound good to everyone?"

Red hesitantly nodded.

Arms crossed, Blue slowly gave a thumbs-up.

Green smiled. "Okay. So the plan is to wait until Malon gets back and ask her to give us a ride to Koholint." He turned his attention to Blue. "And Blue, be nice. You're one of us."

"Does that include Burn-Everything-Boy?"

"I'm not Burn-Everything-Boy!" Red cried. "I'm not even on fire right now— _and I'm staying that way!"_

"Actually…" Vio asked. "Why _are_ we human?"

All the tension in the room vanished. The boys looked at each other, confusion on their faces. "That's…actually a good question," Blue mumbled. "But I'm not questioning it." He leaned back, supporting his weight with his arms, and kicked out his legs. "I can walk, for once."

"We changed right before Erune got to us," Green said. "Do you think she had anything to do with it?"

"It's unlikely," Vio answered. "We only just met her today."

Blue leaned forward again. "Guys. Do you _really_ want to go back to that? A bird-man with no hands and a talking tree?"

Green drew back. "Well, no, but—"

"Exactly. We're normal now. Enjoy it."

"But what if we change back?"

"Why would we?"

"We were all in an Element form before Erune appeared," Vio answered. "If she triggered us to turn human, what if something were to change us back?"

Red cringed. "I don't want to think about it." He curled his hands into fists. "And if it were to happen, I'll do whatever I can to stop it. I hate being made of fire."

Green lowered his gaze. He did enjoy being normal again, but what had caused it? Was it permanent, or temporary?

What would happen if they became monsters again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, everyone! I recently picked up some business writing classes and the workload's been a bit heavy. I left this chapter unedited/un-proofread for nearly a month, and it was driving me nuts. Because of the break though, I'm hoping the characters are still coming off as genuine.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or any constructive criticism!


	9. Unexpected Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I usually leave notes at the end of a chapter, but this chapter involves some music. The lyrics are written by me and are based on the theme to Lon Lon Ranch.
> 
> I apologize for the chapter being so late! It took much longer than I anticipated to proofread this (months longer), but I managed to get it done just a few hours ago. I hope this is to everyone's liking!

Sunlight fell on a golden field, their shine glowing with the summer breeze. Under the trees, laughter erupted as a small, blond-haired boy jumped onto a branch. A long-haired girl followed his lead.

“Zelda, don’t!” The boy shouted. “The maids’ll get mad if your dress gets torn again!”

“But I wanna climb, too,” the girl answered. “Besides, I can turn my dress into pants!” She widened her stance, took the fabric in her hands, and tied it until the skirt clung to her waist and legs. “See?”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Cool!” he exclaimed. “How’d you do that?!”

“If you let me climb up, I can teach you.”

“Okay. Race you to the top!”

The two clambered through the branches, brushing away flowers that blocked their way. Nearing the top, the boy looked down: Zelda was just a few feet away. Light poured through the petals as he reached for the next bran—

_Snap._

The branch at the boy’s feet sank. Reaching for another, his fingers only slipped through twigs—and got closer to the ground.

“Link!”

The boy held his breath, bracing for impact.

Instead, the world bounced.

Opening his eyes, he saw his feet dangling above the ground, leaves and petals falling around him. A pair of small, pink shoes came into view and he saw Zelda, sweating and panting.

“Link,” she gasped. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Link answered. “But…” He swung his hands over his head. “Something’s…digging at my neck.”

“Oh, hold on. I’ll get it.”

Link felt the branch holding him suddenly sink. Then, a pair of hands grabbed at his shirt collar.

“On three,” Zelda said. “One--”

“WHOA!”

_WHAP._

_THUD._

Link’s knees screamed. He inhaled sharply, massaging them as he stood up. “Ow…” he muttered. Remembering his friend, he turned around—and saw Zelda lying in the dirt.

“Zelda! Are you okay?!”

No response.

“Zelda?” Link knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. “Zelda, please! Answer me!”

The girl’s eyes opened and her arms shot upward.

“Brains,” she groaned.

“Oh, c’mon!” Link shoved one of Zelda’s arms, falling on his side as she laughed. “I actually thought you were dead!”

“I’m sorry,” Zelda chuckled, wiping her eyes as she sat up. “I just had to.”

“Well, don’t come running to me if we get attacked by zombies,” Link sighed. His eyes fell on Zelda’s pants-skirt. “Oh no, your dress!”

The girl looked down. The tightly-wound fabric had specks of dirt and mud smudged into the pink. “Oh dear…”

“Don’t worry, I can explain what happened to the maids!”

“Well, it’s just dirt. I can wash it off on my own.”

“You can?”

Zelda smirked. “When the maids aren’t looking.” 

Link sat up, snickering. “And they think _I’m_ trouble.”

“I hang out with you, so they may be right.”

The two broke out into more banter, their laughs filling the air. A soft breeze shook the branches and pink petals rained down. Link caught a glimpse of a lone petal floating down before him, a soft pink hue that rivaled Zelda’s dress.

The petal withered into dust.

Link froze. More petals shriveled into nothing around him. He saw the sky: dark, eerie, and foreboding. The leaves and flowers on the tree melted into ash, falling onto a gray, decaying earth. Before him lay a barren wasteland.

The clouds parted. In the sky, a large dark mass formed with a singular, horizontal slit. The two halves opened, revealing a red eye—with Zelda in its pupil.

“Zelda!” Link cried.

He gasped. As he reached out, a wooden branch with five, small twigs moved with his arm. He looked down: his other limbs were now wooden trunks.

The ground cracked. With a loud roar, the earth ripped itself apart. Link felt the darkness pull him down as he reached out to Zelda—

“Green!”

Green gasped. Zelda, the red eye, and the desolate lands were gone. Darkness surrounded him, but he made out figures in the shadows: two beds and three blankets on the floor (not including his own). A light flickered in the corner of his eye and he spun around. In front of him was a familiar woman with red hair and blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” Malon asked, holding a candle in her hand. “You were tossing and turning.”

Green steadied his breath. He closed his eyes and looked back: this was the Lon Lon farm. Malon and Erune were here. He, Red, Blue, and Vio were staying the night.

“I-I’m okay,” Green answered. “Bad dream.”

“That’s good,” Malon replied. “Not that it was a _bad_ dream, mind you. Just that it was a _dream_. Nothing harmful about that.”  
The earthquake loomed in Link’s mind.

“Y-yeah,” he said hesitantly. “N—nothing harmful about a dream.”

“Do you want to go back to sleep?” Malon stood up and set the candle down. “We’ve still got some time before sunrise.”

Green was about to say “sunrise?”, but he held back. The skies were dark with hints of light blue creeping from the horizon, illuminated by the candle’s faint light. From the glow, he saw the other boys: Vio slept directly across, Red diagonally to the left, and Blue was next to Green.

Finally, he shook his head. “I’m wide awake,” Green said. “We should start heading out soon.”

*************************************************************

The young rays of dawn shone through, brightening the skies. Below, Malon strapped the reins of a wagon to a lone horse. The house’ front door swung open and Vio stepped out, held up by Red and Erune. “You can let go,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Red asked. “Does it hurt?”

Vio shook his head. “That plant healed me much faster than I expected,” he replied. He then turned to Malon and bowed his head. “Malon, Erune…thank you for your help.”

“Aww, you’re welcome,” Malon said with a curtsy.

Erune and Red backed away and watched Vio steady his feet. Once he was ready, Erune spoke. “Before we leave, do you need anything? Food, rupees...?” Her eyes trailed downward. “Shoes?”

Green looked down. It never occurred to him that he and the others were barefoot—and without wallets.

“Erune, we don’t have any shoes that would fit,” Malon’s voice called out.

The little girl turned and ran to the woman. “But what about Daddy’s old boots?”

As the sisters conversed, Green silently called Red, Blue, and Vio to him. They huddled together in a circle. “This is gonna sound weird,” Green muttered. “But do any of you guys have money?”

“…no,” Red said. “Do you?”

Green’s head dropped.

Blue groaned. “Great, we’re broke.”

The group stood silently for a few seconds. 

Then, Vio whispered. “How much is Erune offering?”

“Vio!” Green hissed.

“We’re poor and she wants to help,” Vio said. “We’d only take enough to survive on our own.”

“We are _not_ taking their money!”

“Green, she asked if we needed anything,” Blue said. “This counts.”

“You, too, Blue?!” Green groaned. “Well, I say we’re not taking it. Right, Red?”

Red held his breath and his gaze fell to the ground.

“Red?”

“Well,” Red said, shuffling nervously. “We are out of money…”

“Red!” Green exclaimed.

“But what if we stayed? We could help out around the farm a-and they could pay us.”

“We’d be stuck here for weeks,” Blue snapped. “And Hyrule’s being destroyed right now!”

“So it’s settled,” Green said.

Vio raised an eyebrow. “It is?”

“Yes. We’re leaving and we’ll figure out how to make money on our own. Agreed?”

Red looked away while Blue scratched the back of his head. Vio only glared.

“Vio, c’mon,” Green pleaded. “We can think of something on the way to Koholint.”

The purple boy averted his gaze.

“Vio—”

“You boys ready to go?” Malon’s voice shouted.

No one moved.

Taking a deep breath, Green stood up and waved. “We’re ready.”

*************************************************************

The wagon rolled along a dirt path, creaking under a mid-morning sun. Under a cloth cover, Green sat with Erune at his left and Red directly across, all three of them closest to the front. Vio was at Green’s left with his arms crossed and his gaze at the floor while Blue lay on the other side, his arm over his eyes. 

Green glanced among his other halves. The summer heat was unbearable, but this silence was even worse.

__

_When you’re sad  
When you’re down  
When you’ve got a frown_

He twiddled his fingers. From how their conversation at Lon Lon went, they were all willing to take money. From Malon and Erune, no less. He sighed: was he the only one who had morals? 

__

_There’s no need to be mad  
Look for us in town_

Green blinked. Quietly, he leaned over to Erune and whispered, “Is that Malon singing?” 

Erune nodded. “Yep,” she said cheerfully. “We sing it whenever we sell milk to attract customers. I think she was singing it when you arrived, too.”

_We are sweet  
We sing on  
‘Cause we’re never gone_

Green leaned back. He remembered Malon singing when he and the other boys arrived.

“It’s also our horses’ favorite song, especially Epona’s,” Erune continued. “Malon will sing it when the horses are out and they’ll just come straight to her. She’s not as good as my oldest sister, though.”

_We’ve got delicious treats  
We’re Lon Lon!_

“Your oldest sister?”

“Yep! Malon is my second-oldest sister and her twin, Marin, is my first-oldest sister.”

A flash of blond hair caught Green’s eye. He looked down and saw Red, leaning toward him and Erune. “Malon’s a twin?” Red asked. “That’s so cool!”

“It’s not that great.”

The three children looked up. Quickly, Red sat back against the wagon supports. “I-I’m so sorry, Malon!” he squeaked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your song!”

“No worries,” the woman chuckled. “I just heard y’all talking about my sister.”

Erune shot up. “You could hear us?!”

“I’m your sister,” Malon said. “I can hear _everything.”_

“No, you can’t.”

Malon giggled. “Yep. Marin and I are twins, but she’s got brown eyes. Daddy says she got it from Mama. She used to live with us back at the farm, but she moved to Koholint a few years back. Said ‘my heart belongs to the sea’ or something like that. I was gonna ask her to take you boys overseas, actually.”

Green’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yep. Marin might not look it, but she’s a sailor…well, not yet. She’s even been working with fishermen for the past few years, but her dream is to travel the world in her own boat. And by the way...” She looked over at Erune. “I’m a much better singer.”

Erune shot up. “Sis, stop!”

“Oh, Erie, I’m just teasing.”

“No, up ahead!”

Malon looked forward—and sharply pulled the reins.

Red and Erune careened into Malon’s shoulders.

Vio fell onto the seat.

Green and Blue flopped onto the wagon floor.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Red shouted, pulling back. “Are you okay, Malon?!”

Blue shot up and stomped forward. “What the heck just happened?!”

Green rushed to the front. In front of the wagon lay a crumbled road, leading to a steep cliff. A large mass of fallen rock stood between Lon Lon isle and the island up ahead, the waves slowly engulfing the boulders.

“This can’t be,” Malon gasped. 

Vio peered out the front of the wagon. “That bridge of land connecting Lon Lon to Koholint…was it unstable?”

“No,” Malon said, stunned. “It’s been here for centuries, and it was made of solid ground.”

“Maybe an earthquake knocked it down?” Blue asked.

Green froze. An earthquake?

“Th—that’s impossible,” Erune answered. “Daddy said we’ve never had earthquakes.”

A finger tapped Green’s shoulder and he turned around. Red pointed at Green’s head, his eyes wide with panic. Green ran his hands through his hair, feeling nothing but strands of hair and a flower.

He stopped. The flower was stuck to his skull. 

Loud footsteps banged the wagon floor. Spinning around, Green saw a purple blur jump out from the back. He barely made out a tail feather.

“Vio?” Erune asked. “Where’d he go?”

Green quickly covered the flower. “Bathroom?” he said nervously.

The little girl nodded, but then her eyes narrowed. She looked left and right, her nose sniffing the air. “Is something burning?”

Green looked at Red: his hair was smoking.

“I-I gotta go, too!” Red shouted, jumping off the wagon before Erune could see him.

Malon turned around. “Is everything okay back there?”

Green nodded with an uneasy grin.

The woman stared for a moment, but returned to her spot. Erune crawled over to the front and sat next to her sister. “Malon...” she asked. “How’re we going to get them across? How’re Marin and Daddy going to get here?”

As the sisters spoke, a hand suddenly grabbed Green and dragged him to the back of the wagon. He saw Blue stand in front of him. “We gotta get outta here,” he whispered.

“I know, but what about—”

“If Birdbrain and Burn-brain are changin’ back, we’re gonna end up doin’ the same, let’s go!”

“But Koholint—!”

“Green? Blue?”

The boys stopped. At the front, Marin sat so she was facing them, a worried look on her face. “I’ve thought of something that might help, but it’ll take a while,” she said. “We’ve got a messenger bird back at Lon Lon.”

Erune tugged at Malon’s sleeve. “But Sis, Cojiro hasn’t grown into his wings yet.”

“He hasn’t, but Ingo’s grown into his years ago.”

“Ingo’s a jerk.”

“Y-yes, but I’ve been training him not to be a jerk.”

“Last week, he bit my fingers.”

“Again?! And here I thought he stopped biting people…” Malon sighed. “I’m afraid he’ll have to do, anyway.” She turned to face Green and Blue. “I’ll send him over to the Koholint mayor and let him know your situation. Is that all right?”

Green dropped his shoulders. “Well, if that’s our only option…”

Malon nodded. “Okay. Erune, get back inside, I’m going to turn Beth around. And once Vio and Red get back—”

A pair of hands fell on Green’s shoulders.

“SHIT!”

_WHUMP._

Green winced, pain rippling in his nose. He brought a hand to his face when he felt something hard.

He opened his eyes: a branch with five, smaller, finger-like branches moved before him.

Quickly, he shot up from the floor and looked behind him. Blue lay stunned, his eyes staring aghast at the sapphire, fish tail that grew from his waist.

“What the…?”

Green spun around. Erune stood perfectly still inside the wagon, Malon staring wide-eyed behind her. The older sister wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her outside.

Green stepped forward. “Malon…”

“Stay back,” the woman hissed.

Green stopped, raising both his wooden hands. “Please,” he whimpered. “I can explain.”

Malon reached down with one hand. “I said, stay back—!”

A loud roar shook the ground. Malon thrust her arm around Erune again as the wagon wobbled, throwing Green off-balance.

Green gasped: that roar from his dream.

The earth crumbled and the wagon sank, plummeting to the ocean below.


	10. Shadows and Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the late update! Writing action scenes was never my forte and this took many rewrites. By the time I got a better idea on what the fight scene would be, I couldn't work up the power to proofread. I managed to get it done to the best of my ability.
> 
> From now on, I'm going to try writing multiple chapters at once, proofreading them, and then posting them one by one over periods of time. It might not be the best method, but I want to try to avoid another four-month hiatus.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading!

Salt burned all around Green. The darkness around him froze and stung. Bearing the pain, he swung his outward. Nothing.

A muffled neigh came from above. Then, Green felt fins brush against him. An arm wrapped around his waist and lifted him upward. In seconds, the surface splashed as Green gasped for air.

"Erune!" Green cried, forcing his eyes open. "Malon?!"

"I got her!"

Green spun around. Blue waded at his right, pointing to a golden beach by the collapsed bridge. "Just saved her and Beth," the merboy said as a horse galloped toward the trees. "C'mon."

Blue swiftly swam with the current, holding the tree-boy in his arms. As palm trees grew nearer, Green freed himself and dashed onto the shore. He fell on his knees, wincing as salt stung in his eyes. Would the rest of his journey be like this?

"Green?"

The tree-boy froze. He opened his eyes and saw Erune, her hair and clothes dripping with seawater. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared at her friend, his flowery hair soaked and his wooden limbs moving with him.

"Erune!" Green exclaimed, reaching for her. "Are you okay—?"

High-pitched shrieks rang. Green turned and saw a swarm of slimy, black tentacles writhing in the ocean. They writhed and thrashed from the surface, swinging a flash of red and silver as they went. Green looked closer: a woman with long, red hair was wrapped in one tentacle's grip.

The boy's blood froze. "MALON!"

More tentacles burst from the sea. Green leapt toward Erune and pushed her down as one whipped itself toward them. The limb slammed itself into the ground, worm-like bumps squirming toward the earth. As they moved, they protruded into thin roots and dug deep into the ground. In seconds, the golden sands became a soulless gray. The color crept to a nearby palm tree, forcing the trunk to wither. Soft, green leaves withered and once-large coconuts shriveled into ash.

Green watched in horror. "No," he gasped. "Stop!"

**_"Why should I?"_ **

Dark clouds swarmed over the children. Thunder clapped and the waves churned as a deep, monstrous voice cackled. A monstrous, familiar voice.

"Vaati!" Green shouted. "Stop this right now!"

**_"What, and let all this life go to waste? It's all here—and it's all mine."_ **

Blue raised his sword from the water and pointed at the storm. "I'll kill you!"

**_"You? Kill me? That's a laugh! When Vaati's done with you, you'll be pointing that sword at your own neck."_ **

"You should've stayed dead!" Blue roared.

Green stopped. "Wait…what do you mean, 'when Vaati's done with you'?"

**_"Wow, you're dumber than I thought. Your precious Goddesses and Hero may have stripped Vaati of his powers, but the life force in this land is all he nee—"_ **

The voice stopped.

**_"Wait…"_ **

Suddenly, laughter filled the skies. Erune, Green, and Blue slapped their hands over their own ears as the ground shuddered. The voice continued to cackle, reaching higher octaves with each laugh. It grew from a deep baritone to a light tenor. Then an alto. The voice was no longer a bloodthirsty adult.

But a child.

**_"You actually fell for that?! Man, and I thought the King was an idiot!"_ **

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Blue bellowed. "And if you're not Vaati, then who are you?!"

**_"Really? Do I have to spell it out for you?"_ **

A tentacle from the sea lurched forward. As it neared the beach, its flesh ripped halfway along the limb. It fell onto the sands, writhing helplessly in front of Green. The amputated tentacle shrank and its slime molded itself like clay. Green and Erune watched limbs ripple, pulsate, and grow from the disgusting mass. It then stood up on its newly-formed legs as a lump grew on top of the body…

A slimy mold of Green's head smirked on the creature. "The name's Shadow," he said. "And I do a really good Vaati impression."

Green gripped his blade. " _YOU_ —!"

The tree child lunged. He swung the sword down. Then right. Up. Left. Diagonal. Shadow merely dodged each slash with a grin.

"Is this the best you've got?" Shadow laughed. "No wonder Johnny stopped being captain!"

Green fell to his knees, wiping sweat off his brow. "You…" he growled. "You tricked me!"

"What?" Shadow replied. "Me? Trick you? I never _said_ I was Vaati, no, no, no. You thought that on your own. But I gotta say, you got a lot of stuff done for me. You got the Four Sword back, you released Master Vaati…" He knelt down in front of Green. "I gotta thank you—"

Sh-shut up!"

"…for being so _gullible_!"

Shadow kicked Green in the side. The tree child pushed himself onto his feet and slashed. Effortlessly, the slime-child slid from the attack and returned with a hard punch. Green pulled back, rubbing his cheek from the impact. He lunged again—and ran head-first into Blue. He fell face-flat into the ground as Blue fell with a loud thud. Green shot up angrily. "What do you think your doing?!"

Blue wiped blood from his nose. "He was right there! I had the perfect chance to beat him up until you butted in!" he snarled back.

"Butted in?! I was fighting him this whole time! And why're you leaving the water?! You don't have legs!"

"Like I fucking care!"

Shadow's voice sang from Green's left. "Ooh, a potty mouth," it snickered. "And the little dandelion's right: let's get you back in the water."

Shadow swung his leg into Blue's stomach. The merboy coughed horribly as his body flew from the beach and into the wet sands. The ground disturbingly crunched at impact.

Green gasped. "BLUE!"

A foot slammed into his back. Green groaned, his rib cage and spine jolting with pain. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you just yet," Shadow said.

A little girl shrieked. Erune looked around herself in terror as black ooze crawled around her. Green tried to push himself up, panic running through his veins, when his head crashed into the ground. Five slimy fingers dug through his flowery hair. "Let go of me…!" Green growled.

Shadow's voice gently whispered. "How about I kill her first?"

**_"NO!"_ **

An explosion of heat engulfed the land. The gooey hand disintegrated from Green's head, allowing him to see. In front of him were billows of smoke and steam rising from a glassy crater. Fire crackled from within and a small flame rose from the depths.

"Erune?" The fire called out. "Green? Blue?"

Green's eyes widened. "Red?!"

Red spun around. "Green, you're okay! Where's Erune? And Blue?"

Green turned and pointed toward the palm trees. At the edge of the jungle was Erune, her stunned eyes lit by flames.

"Erune! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" Red exclaimed. "Me and Vio were changing back and we were hiding behind some rocks when we heard a loud 'boom'! We ran back and saw you on the beach and…"—he gestured at the writing tentacles—"…that giant monster over there!"

Green looked across the water. The tentacles, once writhing aimlessly, were now whipping at a certain target. A sliver of silver shone over the monster, held by a humanoid figure with purple wings.

"Vio took off once he saw that thing," Red rambled on. "And I saw you guys fighting and that gooey person went f—"

"We know the rest!" a voice shouted from the shore. Blue's head rose from the sands, drenched as he desperately crawled toward the children. "Now tell us how you did that!"

Red looked at his Four Sword. "I—I dunno," he stammered, holding the blade up. "I was on the cliff and saw you being attacked when I just…jumped in."

Green suddenly noticed Red's feet. Below his hovering body was a puddle of black slime. A single lump grew from the mass, reaching toward the nearby tentacle.

The tentacle ripped itself off the ground.

"Green, look out!"

Pain ran through Green's chest. The tentacle swung over them with a loud whoosh as he fell down, engulfed by Red's heat. He hugged himself and curled up into a ball, crying as the smell of burnt wood filled his nostrils.

"NO! Green, I'm so sorry!" Red cried. The flaming child looked at his hands, terror in his eyes, and hovered away. "Water! Please, I need water!"

"I got your water right here!"

Green opened his eyes. The black slime was slowly reforming into Shadow, his torso rising from the substance. He reached toward the tentacle and it swung itself, full-force toward Red—and the ocean.

The tree child jumped to his feet. "Red, get down!"

_WHAM._

Air rushed through Green's legs. His arms sat tightly against his sides, crushed in a slimy limb's grip. Green watched Red, Blue, Erune, and Koholint move further away as the tentacle whipped him over the ocean. The dark blue waters grew loud and violent, tentacles slapping the surface angrily. The one carrying Green finally stopped with its prey upside-down, tightly held miles above the sea.

Blood rushed to the boy's head. He turned his gaze back to the tentacle and struggled, his cramped blade budging in its grasp. A purple feather floated toward him and he looked further along the monstrous arm. Up ahead, Vio soared erratically with his sword in his talon, failing to properly use it. The tentacle he flew around held Malon in its grip, where she mercilessly fought against her captor with a pitchfork in her free arm.

"Vio!" Green shouted.

Vio hovered stilly in the air. Seeing the upside-down Green, he readied the sword in his claw and soared downward. His legs kicked and flailed, blade in tow, but they merely grazed the tentacle's skin.

"Dammit!" Vio hissed.

"Just use your hands!" Green shouted.

The harpy glared, flapping his wings furiously.

Green hushed himself for a moment. "Whoops. Um…can you get your arms back?"

"I've been trying to do that ever since I got this form! It only seems to work when I turn into a hu—"

Purple feathers burst in the air. A pitchfork hurtled down as Malon's screams filled the air, thrown into Vio's body. The tentacle that held her pulled back, almost laughing at the sight of the two plummeting to their deaths.

Green gripped his blade. Terror and anger ran through his veins. Warmth filled the boy's body. The sound of leaves danced and the brush of vines rushed all around him. He looked back at his hand: in the grip of the tentacle, a bright emerald glow was emerging. Branches grew and climbed from the blade onto the monster's flesh as flowers floated through the air.

He took a deep breath. With a loud cry, the emerald shined like the sun. The tentacle released Green and pulled back, dropping him toward the water. Green shot past Vio and Malon, petals and leaves flying alongside him. Rising from the depths below came a large, dark purple ball. A long, bulbous slit opened and a swollen red eye stared right at the flowery boy.

Green raised the sword in both of his hands. _"Leave my friends alone!"_

_SHICK._

A loud scream shook the earth. The creature tossed itself left and right, forcing Green to grip the now-stuck sword for dear life. Its muscles tensed under his feet as the tentacles thrashed in every direction, shrieking in inhuman octaves.

Dark roots spread sprung from the sword. They dug deep into the eyeball and crept to its corners. The eye's redness brightened to orange and its surface grew hotter under Green's feet.

"Oh, crap," he groaned.

**_BOOM!_ **

An explosion of burnt roots and black shreds threw Green, Vio, and Malon skyward. They rocketed to the clouds, screaming along the way.

The three slowly stopped.

They hovered.

Then they dropped.

Green looked at his sword while the ocean grew nearer. Remembering the strength that flowed through him before, he gripped the handle and focused on saving Malon and Vio.

Nothing.

He took a deep breath and squeezed the hilt in both hands.

No leaves or branches grew.

He held the blade to his panic-filled eyes. "You did it before!" he yelled. "Please, just one more time!"

Sharp claws wrapped around Green's left shoulder. Looking there, he saw Vio flying toward Malon. His free talon passed her his sword as he grabbed her right shoulder.

"Vio!" Green yelled. "Are you sure you can hold us?!"

"I can try!" Vio looked up at Koholint. "One…two—!"

_FWOOSH._

Sea foam rushed over Green. Water swirled around him, the cool ocean stinging where Vio's claw once was. He flipped and turned with the surf until the roaring waves became a whisper. The waters and suddenly he was on the shore, gasping for air. Malon washed up at his left while a disgruntled Vio struggled to stand, waddling and wobbling.

Green looked further down the beach. Glass hissed among the sand, reflecting smoke from wilting palm trees. A fully-blazing Red slashed at Shadow with a protective roar. Every time the blade missed, a new patch of glass would emerge from the ground.

Green shot up. "RED!"

Red and Shadow stopped. The fiery child turned to Green while the slimy one looked across the sea, his face contorting with disgust.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," Shadow muttered. "But next time we meet, you'll be begging for death." His body melted into a large puddle and sank into the ground. Just as the slime vanished, Red turned to the trees. He paused for a moment before jumping to dry land: a wave of seawater rushed toward the glass and trees.

Further from Green's left, a drenched Erune stood beside Blue. The finned boy held a glowing sapphire sword toward the beach and the waves followed, quenching the heat of the previous battle. "Finally got this to work," Blue said. "Took him burning up half the beach to do it."

"I-I didn't mean to!" Red said. "That slime—Shadow—he was going to attack Erune, and…"

Erune's eyes brightened. "Sis!" She jumped over Blue, dashed to Malon, and hugged her tight. "Sis, I was so scared!"

Malon wiped a lock of hair from her face. "So was I," she replied, kneeling down to hold the little girl. "Shh, shh, everything's okay."

Red slowly floated toward the two. "Are you hurt?"

Erune gasped and shrank behind Malon. The older sister threw her hand behind her, stopped, then brought it back. Her eyes darted from one strange boy to the next. "Who—what're—?"

Green readied himself as he looked Malon in the eyes. "It's a long story."


	11. The Test

Malon sat with her head in her hands. Next to her, Erune comforted her sister while eyeing the tree-child in front of her. Smoke rose from the now-drenched trees where Red anxiously waited. Nearby, Vio stood patiently as he turned his eyes turned to the sea.

A pitchfork broke through the waves.

Blue’s head popped out of the water soon after. “Found it!” he shouted

Vio jumped. Soaring from his spot, he grabbed the pitchfork from Blue’s hand and circled back to the beach.

“You’re welcome!” Blue yelled angrily.

Vio dropped the pitchfork by Green and Malon. Hearing it fall, Green picked up the weapon and gave it to the woman.

“Here, Green said. “This is yours, isn’t it?”

“How did you get it, by the way?” Vio asked, landing beside them.

Malon held the pitchfork in her hands. “’Always be prepared,’ Daddy would say,” she said. “We’ve dealt with hoodlums before, so we stash one of these away whenever we go on a trip.” She gripped the wooden handle. “I…owe you boys an apology. Back on the cliff. When you started changing into…what you are now, I was ready to hit you with this.”

“It’s okay,” Green said. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“You were with a boy turning into a fish and another turning into a tree,” Vio muttered. “And you felt the need to attack?”

“Vio!” Green hissed.

“I wasn’t thinking right,” Malon answered. “We’ve never seen mon—people like you before.”

“Malon, it’s all right,” Green said again, gently touching the woman’s hand. “We’ve never seen anyone like us before, either.”

“So you have to get to Hyrule?” Erune chirped. “To save the princess?”

Green nervously looked away. “We don’t know where she is, but that’s the plan.”

“But Blue can swim and Vio can fly. How come they’re still here?”

“W-well, we were human when we came up with the plan, so—“

“What made you guys turn back? Can Vio and Blue still go to Hyrule?”

“I…uh…” Green dropped his gaze. “I dunno how we changed back.”

Vio brought what would have been his hand to his chin. “We started to change right before the monster appeared,” he surmised. “And we turned human right before Erune found us.”

“I made you human?” Erune asked, surprised. “Can I change you back?”

“We turned human right before you saw us. Besides, we’re standing in your presence and we’re still like this.”

“Oh…”

Vio’s tail feathers suddenly stood on end. He turned to Malon. “How far are the Koholint docks?”

Malon looked at him briefly before her eyes closed in thought. “We left at dawn, so if we hurry, we should reach the docks by mid-afternoon.”

The feathered boy nodded, opened his wings, and flew toward the water.

“Whoa, whoa, wait!” Green shouted. He hurriedly jumped onto his feet and dashed after them, his tree-trunk-legs crushing the sands. “Where’re you going?!”

He watched Vio land by the surf and kneel toward Blue. Quickening his pace, their voices reached his ears.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Blue growled.

“It’s merely a suggestion,” Vio replied. “You don’t have to do what I said.”

“Guys!” Green stopped in front of the two, gasping for air. “What…what’re you planning?”

“Blue can swim and I can fly again,” Vio answered. “We’re going to the next island on our own.”

“You’re leaving us?” Green exclaimed. “We agreed to stick together!”

Vio looked over his shoulder. “Yes, when we were human. But now that we know our forms change depending on our surroundings, we need to know how it’s triggered. You and Red would go with Malon and Erune to the docks while Blue and I head to the Maku region by ourselves. If things go as planned, we should figure out how to control the transformation.”

“If things go as planned?”

“If Blue and I don’t run into anyone, we’ll stay in these forms. And if you and Red go into the village, you’ll be human again.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

Vio stood up. Fierce determination burned in his lilac eyes as he looked at Green. “It _will_ work,” he said. “We just have to test it.”

Green crossed his arms, anger and fear running through his veins. Could Vio be right? The group did turn to normal when Erune appeared and changed back when Shadow attacked, but those were only two instances. What if he and Red didn’t become human when they arrived? What if Blue and Vio changed while traveling on their own? W—would they survive?

The tree-child briefly looked at the harpy, then the merboy, and sighed. “If it’ll help us figure this out, go ahead.”

“I’m gonna get there before you do, Birdbrain,” Blue said. “Not ‘cause you told me to.”

“I _did_ say it was a suggestion,” Vio muttered.

“Shut it!" Blue spun around and swam into the deep. "I’m headin’ out!” 

“Do you even know how to get there?!” Green shouted.

Blue dove beneath the waves, his sapphire tail splashing after it. Green stood perfectly still with a question unanswered. Nervously, he turned to Vio. “Do _you_ know how to get there?” he asked.

“I can see everything from the sky,” Vio answered. “I can’t get lost.”

Vio’s wings stretched open and he leapt. A rush of wind blew past Green as the feathered boy flew through the air, a purple feather floating downward.

Green turned on his heel and ran back to the trees. There, Erune’s eyes brightened, seeing him come near. The floating Red hovered toward him.

“Green?” the fiery boy asked. “What happened back there?”

Green stopped: Erune and Malon pulled away, their eyes on Red’s fire. He looked back at Red and spoke. “We’re going to the Koholint docks with Malon and Erune while Blue and Vio go to the Maku region on their own,” he said. “Vio wants to test something.”

“Oh…okay.”

“You boys wait here.” Malon stood from her spot, holding Erune’s hand. “I’m gonna get Beth.”

The two sisters walked into the trees. Red’s shoulders dropped and he hovered toward a clearing empty of trees. Gren looked back at the ocean, the waves lolling under a vast sky. Vio’s theory better be right.

*************************************************************

Beth’s hooves clipped and clopped against the ground, rocking Green and Erune on her back. Malon held the horse’s rein while Red hovered beside her with his head hung low. Slowly, Red’s head tilted upward, turning toward the woman. “I’m…sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s fine,” Malon answered quickly. “Just don’t burn anything.”

“I don’t want to burn anything,” Red murmured, looking at his hands. “It just…happens.”

“He’s right,” Green chimed in. “It’s completely out of his control.”

“But I don’t want it to be out of my control!” Red spun toward Green. “I want to help people, not hurt them.”

Green blinked. He raised his hand over his chest, feeling the finger-shaped burns charred in the wood. “It’s okay, Red.” A painful sting shot through him. “It doesn’t hurt. Much.”

Red averted his gaze from Green. In front of the tree child, Erune leaned over Beth and toward Malon. “Do your feet hurt, Sis?” she asked.  
“I’m all right. We should be getting close.”

Green looked ahead. Down the road, faint figures of roofs came into view, a miniature fence surrounding them from the outside. He looked down at his hands: they were still wooden. He looked at Red: still burning. He looked at the sky: how were Blue and Vio?

Beth whinnied.

The horse stood on her hind legs, nearly throwing Green and Erune off her back.

She quickly landed and broke into a sprint, dashing forward. Through the whipping winds, Green looked up. The village was closer now—and he was still inhuman.

“Beth, no!” he cried. “Stop!”

“Easy, easy!” Erune shouted, reaching for the reins. “Slow down!”

She yanked hard, pulling Beth onto her hind legs. Green immediately hugged the girl in front as gravity pulled on his back. Once the horse landed on the ground again, the boy saw houses . The delicious scent of vegetables floated over the path, wafting around wooden houses of colorful roofs. Surrounding them was not a fence but a small border of clay, cracks embedded here and there.

“Don’t worry, Beth,” Erune exclaimed as Beth impatiently stepped on the dirt. “You’ll get to eat soon. We just have to...”—the girl looked down at her stomach—“…Green, your hands!”

Green let go: he forgot he clung to Erune earlier. Pulling his hands back, he saw flesh instead of wood, slight tan tinging his skin. He spun around and saw Malon and Red running after them, the fiery boy now a simple child in red clothing.

“Erune! Green!” Malon called out. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Green: Beth goes nuts whenever she smells food.” She came to a halt, her eyes wide. “Y—you’re back to normal?”

“Yeah,” Green answered. “So’s he.”

Malon looked back at Red. “Oh.” She lifted a hand toward the boy, hesitatingly patting his head. A sad but optimistic smile crept across Red’s face.

“Thank you, Malon,” Red said. “Are we at the Koholint docks?”

“Y-yeah. This is actually Mabe Village, but the docks are just further down.” Malon retracted her hand, walked over to Beth, and took the reins. “Hang in there, kids: we’ll be at Marin’s before you know it.”

As the group entered, Green breathed deep: the village cuisine was everywhere. The sun hovered over the village, crawling from the highest point of the sky. Below it, open windows blew the scent of food from their respective homes. Villagers roamed the road, but their eyes looked downward, downcast, and depressed. Green watched the people walking around them: what was going on?

“Malon? Malon from Lon Lon?”

Malon stopped. A short, elderly woman approached them, her bony hand around a wooden cane. Her silver hair was rustled and messy under a silk cloth and her sweaty brow.

“Yes, that’s me,” Malon answered. “Can I help you?”

The old woman smiled. “Oh, thank the Wind Fish!” she cried. “There may be hope for Marin just yet.”

Erune blinked. “What do you mean?”

“GINGER! PIPSQUEAK!”

Green looked up. Further behind the woman, a bearded man ran in their direction. A long blue coat flapped with every step, only stopping when the man reached them.

“Dangit, Linebeck, I told you to stop calling us that,” Malon groaned.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” the man panted, breathing heavily. “Look. We…we got an emergency.”

“An emergency?” Malon gripped Linebeck. “What happened? Where’s Marin? Is she okay?!”

Linebeck stood up straight, wiping his face with his sleeve. He took a deep breath and looked at the woman with nervous eyes. “You’re not gonna believe this…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I want to apologize for taking such a long time with this chapter. I know my original plan was to write multiple chapters and then post them one by one, but the plan fell through: if anything, it made me even more anxious. For months, I couldn't get a good feel for this chapter and just wallowed in writer's block. It wasn't until recently when I FINALLY got the urge and an idea on how to write this.
> 
> Again, thank you so much for your patience. Please leave a comment and/or constructive criticism if you can! <3


	12. A Deadly Deal

“MALON!”

Green panted heavily as he ran, his heart pounding in his chest. Up ahead, Malon whisked past villagers and dashed quickly down the road. A flash of red hair came from Green’s left and he saw Erune run past him, racing to her sister.

“Ginger! Pipsqueak!” a voice shouted.

Green saw blue coattails at his right. The back of Linebeck towered over the boy, hurriedly fading down the road as he ran.  
“G—Green! Wait for—OOF!”

Green stopped. Turning around, he spotted Red on the ground, his hands and knees scraped with dirt.

“Red!” Green cried, rushing to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Red replied. He pushed himself off the ground. He inhaled sharply and Green quickly grabbed him. “I’m sorry, I—they run so fast…”

“It’s all right, I couldn’t keep up with them either.”

Red lifted his head. “Um…Green?” he asked. “Where did they go?”

Green looked at the road. The crowd had become dense, the dim faces of strangers looming over the boys. “Um…we’ll be fine,” he said, forcing a smile. “We can just ask around.” He gestured to a young woman. “Excuse me? Did you see--?”

The woman looked away.

Green looked to other villagers, who just averted their eyes. “Well...I saw them run this way,” he muttered. “Can you walk?”

Red nodded.

“Okay. Stay close.”

The two boys walked down the road, eyeing the path for forks and turns. Green came to a stop, forcing Red to stumble, when they entered a clearing. Before them lay a circular brick plaza, a rusty weathercock standing the middle with its tail turning in the wind. At the edges of the circle lay more buildings, more roads, and more strange faces.

Green looked to his left and stopped. A dirt road connected the plaza to a wooden, faraway house. Standing by it were three figures in the shape of a man, a woman, and a child. “Is that them?” he asked aloud.

Red turned. “Where?” He spotted the little house, squinting his eyes. He suddenly gasped. “Green, look!”

The woman pounded at the door, screaming ferociously. When the door opened just slightly, the young girl leaned in. Green looked closer: the girl was talking to someone behind the door. Just then, the woman began slamming her body against it. The man quickly pulled the woman away, stepped back, and kicked as hard as he could. The door flew open and the three rushed inside.

“MARIN!” A voice faintly cried from the structure.

“That’s them, all right!” Green exclaimed. “C’mon!”

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

The house caught Green by surprise. From where he originally stood, it looked like a little wooden hut made of meek wooden planks. Up close, he saw a cobblestone chamber jutting out from the side (it was out of his line of sight at the weathercock). Entering the building, Green did not see the inside of a house, but a small wooden desk. At the left of it sat the stone room lined with thick, iron bars. Malon and Erune stood right at the cobblestone cell, gripping the bars and crying.

“Big Sis!” The young girl sobbed.

“Marin!” The woman shrieked. “Marin, talk to me! What happened?!”

Green strained his eyes: behind the bars was…another Malon? He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The woman had the exact same hair and face as Malon, but her eyes were a warm, teary brown. She wore a red flower in her hair and a light-blue dress, making the dungeon appear even darker. Behind her sat a young man with short purple hair and reddish-brown eyes, his hands on the woman’s shoulders.

“Kafei!” Malon shouted. “What happened?! What happened to my sister!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Malon,” the man replied. “Your sister’s still…a little shaken up. As for what happened…” He glared through the bars, looking past the girls. “It was _him_.”

Malon and Erune spun around. Following their lead, Green spotted Linebeck pinning a small, orange-haired man in a fancy, lime green suit against the wall. The stranger stood roughly the same height as both Green and Red, except his large smile and wrinkles gave away his age. Though restrained, he looked strangely calm, adjusting the twin lime-green hats on his head as if he were fine.

The small man shrugged. “What can I say? They’re greedy and violent criminals.”

“I’m seeing a criminal in this room,” Linebeck replied. “And it sure ain’t them!”

Green looked from Linebeck and the small man, to the jail cell. “What’s going on?”

Malon blinked. “Green! Red!” she said. “I’m sorry, I was so focused on Marin—”

“Wait,” Linebeck interrupted. “ _Green_ and _Red_?” His eyes scanned the boys. “Man, your parents must’ve run out of ideas.”

Red gulped. “Th—they didn’t!” he answered. “But what happened? The old lady said Marin was arrested…’

“There was an earthquake a few hours ago,” Kafei answered. “Marin was worried about her sisters and was going to leave town, but Cole wouldn’t let her pass. Said she was avoiding dues.”

“Cole?” Red asked.

Kafei pointed to the tiny man. “He was the warden of Mabe Village. Let me repeat that: ‘was.’ I only found this out yesterday because that…monster scared my village into silence. A few days ago, he started collecting money from the villagers. Said it was for keeping everyone safe, but he increased the number of rupees he needed each day. On the first day, it was twenty rupees. The second day, it was fifty. Yesterday, it was two hundred fifty.”

“That’s robbery!” Green exclaimed.

“Exactly. Anyway, Marin was heading for Lon Lon ranch when Cole accused her of avoiding her payment. She offered to pay him early, but Cole increased the payment right there.”

Marin wiped her eyes. “I wouldn’t get paid until tomorrow,” she muttered. “I…I had enough for yesterday, but today…I couldn’t wait. I had to see my sisters.”

“They look okay to me,” Cole said. “Besides, it was just a little increase.”

 _“You changed it to a thousand rupees!”_ Marin cried.

Green froze. His left hand itched, clenched and shaking with rage.

“So I changed the price a little, so what?” Cole replied. “What Mister Mayor here isn’t telling you is that he steps in, and instead of getting the weasel to pay up, he says I’m no longer warden.”

“You scammed and terrified the villagers,” Kafei snarled. “All under my own nose. I was being lenient.”

“He says that to me—me!—and I tell him we need the money. He goes prattling on and on, and then…” Cole leaned toward Green and Red. “Can you guess what happened?”

Green grit his teeth. “What?”

“The girl kicks me! _Kicks me!_ And Kafei just let her do it! Both he and the little bitch deserve death!”

“She wanted to see her family!” Green roared. “And _never_ call a woman that! You’re nothing but a—!”

He froze. “Wait… death?”

“Why do you think she’s behind bars?” Cole asked with a grin.

The building turned cold.

A soft sob came from the chamber.

Malon stomped over and grabbed Cole by his collar.

“Watch it!” Cole screeched. “That’s rare silk from the Lost Woods!”

“I’m going to do _much_ worse to you if you don’t let my sister go,” Marin muttered angrily.

“Let her go? After she assaulted me? She’s a menace to society!”

“You’re the only menace I see here.”

“Really? I’m the man who’s protected this village for months. She’s a worthless fisher who planned to murder m—”

Malon brought Cole close. “One more word,” she snarled. “One more word and I will rip every tooth out of your mouth with my bare hands.”

“Heh, heh...such violence. You’re definitely sisters.”

Red tapped Green’s shoulder. “You should go meet up with Blue and Vio. I’m gonna stay and help Marin.”

Green paused. He was so focused on the drama unfolding before him, Hyrule and Vaati completely slipped his mind. There were bound to be other boat-owners willing to take them overseas, but that would leave Marin on death row. But how could a farmer, her sister, two boys, and Linebeck save Marin from the heinous warden? Nary a plan went through his mind, but…

Green turned to Red. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Red smiled. He hurried to the jail cell, kneeling in front of the bars. “Don’t worry, Marin,” he whispered. “We’re going to save you.”

Green clenched his fists and marched up to Cole. “Let Marin go,” he said. “Now.”

“Hmmph. Green, was it?” Cole said. “Why should I?”

“Because she’s done nothing wrong. You robbed the people of this village and are about to put innocent people to death over nothing. You have no right as a warden to do that.”

Suddenly, a thought suddenly Green. “You arrested her because of the dues, right?” He asked. “If I pay it upfront in her place, you’ll let her go.”

Linebeck’s eyes widened. “Kid, are you crazy?!”

Cole burst into laughter. “You? Make money?”

“I’ve done a lot since I got here. You’d be surprised what I can do.”

The little man only laughed louder.

“I’ll get you the money before sunset,” Green snarled.

Malon turned to the boy. “Green, that’s impossible!”

Cole stopped. “Ooh, this’ll be good,” he said with a grin. “I accept your offer. And to prove just how generous I am as a warden, I will help you.”

“How?”

“First things first.” Cole turned to Malon. “I’d like to be on the ground now.”

The enraged woman plopped the tiny adult onto the floor.

“Phew.” Cole adjusted his suit. “No wrinkles. You’re lucky.” He turned to Green. “I have a boat along the docks. Unfortunately, some hoodlums had a little fun with it a while back. I’ve considered getting it fixed, but I haven’t found anyone worthy enough to fix it—and after so long without a boat, I figured I can live without it. So, if you can completely repair the boat, sell it for a thousand rupees, and bring me the money before sunset, I will let your friend go.”

“And the mayor,” Green interrupted. “You’ll let Marin and Mayor Kafei out, and you’ll step down from your position.”

Cole nodded. “Deal.”

“Okay—”

“Ah-ah-ah, I’m not finished! If you can get all that done before the deadline, I will give you what you want. But if you lose…” Cole’s eyes narrowed, an eerie smile creeping on his face. “You will die with them.”

“What?!” Marin exclaimed.

“No!” Erune cried.

“You bastard!” Kafei shouted. “He’s just a child!”

“Kid, I admire your guts, but don’t do it,” Linebeck called out. “Cole’s toyin’ with ya, he _knows_ you’re gonna lose!”

“The deal’s off,” Malon growled. “I’ll shake the money outta you right here, right now—!”

“I’ll do it,” Green said firmly. “I’ll sell your boat and pay you by sunset, or die trying.”

“Green,” Red asked nervously. “A—are you sure about this…?”

“We have to get Marin and Kafei out of here somehow. If this is our only option, I’ll do it.”

“So, it’s a deal, then.” Cole held out his hand.

Without hesitation, Green reached out, grabbed the other’s hand, and shook it.

“Wonderful,” the little man cackled. “But first, stay here and chat with your friends. It’ll be your last time seeing them. See you at the docks.” He strutted out of the building, closing the door behind him.

Linebeck shot up. “Okay! I’ve got a boat. It’s small and it might not fit all of us, but if I can squeeze through the bars and get you guys outta jail--”

“I’m sorry, Linebeck,” Green said. “I’m going to sell Cole’s boat.” He turned to Marin and Kafei. “I don’t have much time, but can you tell me anything about him? I want to be ready if he tries to pull anything.”

“Well…” Marin answered. “He wasn’t always like this.”

“He wasn’t?”

Marin shook her head. “He was an odd one, but he never did anything like this. He’d talk poorly of us every now and then, but we’d just shrug it off. After all, he’s just one man.”  
“Then three days ago, things got weird,” Linebeck added. “He got this weird look in his eye—you probably saw it earlier—and he started demanding money. He then changed the village rules and got strict. If you said the rules weren’t like that, he’d say you were lying.”

Green crossed his arms. “So, he wasn’t always a bad warden,” he murmured.

“There is another thing,” Kafei chimed. “I don’t know if it’ll help, but you may be able to use it if Cole tries to pull the wool over your eyes.”

“Please tell me,” Green replied. “Anything will help.”

“Yesterday, I had Cole in my office. When I left to get some air, I overheard him talk to himself about the dues, which is how I found out about it. He said he needed more money for...the Church of the Cold Wind.”

“Church of the Cold Wind?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but you could use that ‘church’ to your advantage if he tries anything.”

Green nodded. “Thank you, Mister Mayor.”

“You’re welcome. And you may call me ‘Kafei’.”

The young boy smiled, then turned toward the door. “…here we go.”

“Wait!” Red dashed from the cell to Green’s side. “I’m going with you.”

“Red…I agreed to do this alone.”

“But Cole is dangerous, and fixing a boat on your own in a few hours is impossible. Besides…” Red took Green’s hand. “We’re Link, remember?”

“I’m going, too!” Erune shouted. “You helped my family, now I wanna help you!”

“Count me in,” Malon said triumphantly.

“Yeah, I’m joinin’ you guys,” Linebeck added. “’cause we’re Link, or…whatever that means.”

A warmth spread through Green’s chest and he smiled. “Thank you, everyone.” He held his head up high. “Let’s go sell a boat!”

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

The sun hung low in the sky, its orange reflection sparkling off the sea. A short shadow fell on the wooden docks from where Cole stood, a warm breeze shifting his hats. He reached to place them back in their proper places when footsteps came from behind him. The short man turned around and saw Green, surrounded by Red, Erune, Malon, and Linebeck.

“Oh,” Cole said. “Got an army with you, eh?”

“Deal or no deal, we’re not letting you kill Kafei, Marin, or Green,” Malon replied.

“Hmm…well, since I’m so kind, I’ll let you help our little Green: he’ll need all the help he can get. That is…” His eyes narrowed. “If you want to die with him.”

Linebeck gulped. “Die?”

“We’ll do it!” Red shouted.

Green spun around. “Everyone, no! Please, don’t do this!”

“We won’t die,” Erune said confidently. “Because we’re going to win.”

Cole raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, he chuckled. “We’re going to need a lot of nooses tomorrow. Anyway, now that you’ve signed your death warrants, let me show you what you’ll be working on.”

The group marched from wooden planks to earthy ground. Along the side of the docks lay a row of trees leaning over a sandy shore. Littered along the sands were dark pieces of wood, torn and splintered, beside a larger but still broken slab of wood. A pole stood from the slab with a small, ripped sail.

“Here she is,” Cole said. “The Chancellor Cole!”

Green’s jaw dropped. “ _This_ is your boat?!”

“Well, I did say she was ravaged by hoodlums. What did you think you had to do?”

Green froze. He thought the boat just needed new sails, some new oars, and a paint job.

“You know,” Cole whispered. “You can still back out on the deal, but it’ll be the same as losing…”

“No.” Green paused for a moment, stilling the nervous beat of his heart. “I can do this.”

Cole shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He spun on his heel and skipped giddily back to the village. “I look forward to your payment!”

Linebeck walked ahead, his eyes wandering over the ruins. Curiously, he poked at a wooden plank jutting out of the ground. It snapped with a painful groan. “Y’know, my plan from earlier’s still an option—”

“We’ll make this work,” Green muttered.

“Green,” Red said, his voice heavy with worry. “Are you sure you can do this?”

Green bit his lip. “Not really…but we have to try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for your patience! Life had gotten a bit stressful for me, but I managed to get this chapter out. Many apologies for the wait and thank you very much for reading! :D


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